My Story
by Rainbowhawk1993
Summary: My name is Mahalia. I was an aspiring Lizard Scholar for the Ancient Empire, but I found myself caught up in an adventure that would change my life and the world forever. I'll now tell you the story of my journey alongside the three others who made me who I am today.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 _Where am I?_

I open my eyes. I find myself standing on the deck of a massive ship. A frigate, from what I observe. I see the ship's crew walking around the deck. They act as if they're oblivious to my presence. I call out to the nearest one. He doesn't respond and continues past me. I feel a growing dread and fear inside my belly. Like a fungus growing and weighing my stone stomach down.

 _Why am I here? How am I here?_

I look up, hoping to get a first step in figuring it out. But that hope disappeared when I saw there was no bright sun above with its rays tearing into my eyes. Nor was there the portrait of the constellations that painted the sky above. There wasn't even a blanket of clouds suppressing the world to the color of grey threatening to unleash its furious storms onto the sailors crossing the seas. Instead, I see and endless darkness stretching on to forever with auras of green infecting the air. Below it, I see the tops of spires emerging from below as the ship proceeded past them. My eyes lock onto one of the spires and move to the side to see it pass by. My vision moves from the top of it to the base below. I see the ship was not in a body of water to support its form, but it was hovering in a stream of glowing mist, as if it was carrying it along its way.

I feel a chill course though my body, causing a shortness in my breath. It wasn't from the elements of the outside, but rather voices that flowed into my body. It felt like this realm was infecting me with these voices. My mind couldn't process the words coming in causing me to shutter and kneel.

I close my eyes and breath in a gasp of petrified air into my lungs. For the briefest moment, my mind was clear enough to make an educated guess to what this place was. Coming up with that guess made me even more afraid.

 _Am I in the Hall of Echoes?_

The realm of the afterlife for the souls of Rivellon? Was I dead?

Before I could bring my thoughts to bare, a mighty shriek erupted below. My body is shaken causing me to stand up and attempt to maintain my balance. When I regain my bearings, I find the deck of the ship had disappeared and was replaced with the metallic ground of one of the spires. I look out to see an endless darkness below. I turn my head to my side and I see two people standing next to me, both looking down at the chasm. The one nearest is an Elf holding two daggers while the other next to her was a Lizard holding a sword and shield. I turn my head back the other direction to see one more person standing beside me. This time it was a human who held a crossbow.

I move my eyes back down to the chasm to see something emerge from the darkness. It was something massive. It rose up over me and those beside me. It was a monster. It looked down at us. Its gaze peered into me, paralyzing my body with the fear and awe presented. A glow grew in the back of its jaws as it reared back. A stream of jade colored fire shot out. I feel my eyes widen as the beam of flame hurdled towards me. Only my fear remained as the flames closed the distance…

* * *

"So! Still a bit groggy, are we?"

I feel my senses slowly returning to me. My head, my arms and then all the other extremities. I feel the senses in my chest exhale sending a moan through my neck and out my mouth. My mind was still in a haze when the voice spoke to me again.

"Don't worry, the sedative will wear off soon enough."

 _Sedative?_

I was drugged? Where was I? How did I get here?

At that moment, I could hear the figure who spoke to me pull a leaver nearby causing a series of gears to engage. It was then that the senses that returned told me I was shackled down on a wooden table. The mechanism caused the table to tilt forward to where my body was half way upright. The restraints popped off freeing me. As I began to move my body from its dormant state, the person spoke to me again.

"Easy now. No need to hurry. Get your bearings, then report to me upstairs."

With that, the person, who I recognized to be a human woman, headed up a set of stairs and opened the hatch above leaving me alone in the chamber.

I lean my body up. I bring my hand to my head to rub whatever clarity back into my mind. I move my feet forward and my body follows. My balance is a little jarring, but it steadily finds its equilibrium. After a few more seconds of adjusting, everything becomes clear now.

I raise my arms up and look down. I see the ten fingers of my scaly hands and the long nails reaching out from the tips. They look the same way as I remember save a little crack here and there. Not uncommon for a Lizard. The color of my scales is a light blue, a color many refer to as cornflower. I look in the corner of my eyes to see the edge of my frill around the back my head. It's the color of bright orange. Some people I knew told me I had the appearance of a bright flower. The only thing that intrudes on my appearance were the rags I was clad in. A departure from my wizard robes I wear normally. To top it off, a fair amount of dust and dirt littered my body. I wasn't one of those nobles who obsessed about their appearance and cleanliness, but I did wish to clean myself if I got the chance.

I look around me. I was in a dungeon. No… everything was wood not stone. I then feel the sway of the sea rocking the room up and down. It was the hold of a ship. A ship?

-"So it…" I say to myself. "It wasn't a dream after all..."

I recall the dream I had. The ship, the river of the dead, the monster. An unsettling feeling grasps my stomach. I am immobile for a few moments before I put away those thoughts into the back of my mind.

It is then that I feel an uncomfortable constraint on my long slender neck. I reach up and grasp a metal collar with my claws. I yank on it only to have it feel tighter on me. I pull harder but of course it makes it worse. I gag from the intrusion on my windpipe. Why did I think it would be different?

 _Idiot._

Regaining my breath and giving up on the collar, I refocus my mind to the immediate issue: why am I here?

I look over to the stairway the woman ascended. Perhaps she could tell me. I move my leg forward and my body finds its rhythm, my long tail in tandem with my reptilian form. I ascend the stairs. At the top I push the hatch open to reveal a lab with tubes, desks and books everywhere. It seemed to be the stern section of a frigate, from what I recall from my studies. I step out and see a platform leading to the door out of this section of the ship. The women who released me stood there looking at a book opened on a podium. She looked up at me.

"Why, you're looking a bit more chipper!" she said in a proud and pleasant voice. "Come here and allow me to get a better look."

I close the hatch behind me and proceed up the small flight of stairs leading to the platform. I stand before her, looking down as she leans forward to inspect the collar on my neck. Compared to humans, Lizards were usually taller. Males were six feet tall on average, while females like me were usually seven feet, in human measurements.

"Yes… looks like that collar fits you snugly enough," she said. "Nice bit of work, even if I do say so myself."

I give her a puzzled look as I reach up and gently hold the collar, careful not to move it into another uncomfortable position.

"Oh, not to worry," she said before I could ask anything. "Every dog has to get used to its leash."

Her pleasant voice gave me a very unsettling feeling.

"In the meantime, your next stop will be Magister William. All passengers have to be registered in the ship's manifest, and he's the chap in charge of the logs."

She opened the door behind her and held out her hand to show me the way.

"You'll find him on the other side of this deck, in the officers' quarters."

I hold off following her instructions to ask her a question.

"I… I had a dream I was riding a ship through the sea of the dead. We… we're not dead, are we?"

"No… you're alive and you're having a conversation," she said. "You are on a ship of course, but luckily for us both we're merely sailing the plain old sea."

I would be relieved but the rags and the collar she put on me prevented me from getting that feeling. She pauses a moment and gives me a scrutinizing gander.

"My word, you do seem a bit befuddled, don't you? Perhaps I was a bit too generous with that sedative…"

I say nothing.

"Oh well, I'm sure you'll soon gather your wits," she moves her eyes to the side, reconsidering her statement. "Most likely," she looks to the other side. "Eventually. But, In the meantime, all you need to know is that we're on route to Fort Joy."

She exclaims more enthusiasm for what she says next.

"A new life awaits! And if you're a particularly good girl, perhaps a cure as well. An end to Source- for good!"

End to Source? Was that possible? Source was the mysterious power that flowed into the world of Rivellon from another world know as the Void. Those who were able to absorb source and use it to cast special magic were known as Sourcerers. I was one of them.

"And this collar?" I ask her.

"It for peace of mind, mine and the world's. Why don't you try casting one of those Source spells of yours? See what happens…"

The enthusiasm in her eyes peered into me. It had to be a trick.

"No, I…" I mutter. "I don't want to."

"Oh, do go on. I won't hold it against you. Promise," she replied with a smile.

"Please leave me alone. I'm not going to," I firmly said back to her.

"My, aren't we a meek little lamb?" she said. "Perhaps I needn't have collared you at all, though it does look darling on you."

I roll my eyes. _No mention of the discomfort?_

"So, let's just leave it on, shall we? Because to answer your question, what this collar does is this: It makes you unable to cast Source. For your own peace of mind, of course. Yours and the whole world's. Now please move along. Magister William is waiting for you."

She moved back to the log book leaving me alone in front of the open doorway. With no other options presented, I proceeded through the doorway.

I now remembered what had happened prior to this. The Divine Order, Bishop Alexander, The Voidwoken, and how I ended up here.

My people, the Lizards, hailed from the Ancient Empire. The Empire originated from an arid desert land, where our people basked in the sun and we grew to become a powerful society of hierarchy and discipline.

I was born to the House of Law, one of the three houses of the Empire. The other two were the House of War and the House of Dreams. The House of War was the sword of the empire, bringing the might of our warriors to vanquish the aggressors who wished to harm the Empire and its people. The House of Dreams were a collection of mystics who were able to traverse the Dreamworld to foresee the future. The House of Law was the house that acted as a counterweight to the House of War. It was our job to uphold and amend the law as it was seen fit to maintain stability in the Empire.

My family raised me to become a knowledgeable scholar and diplomat. Though I did posses some connection to the arts of mystics, and later my ability to cast Source, it wasn't powerful enough for me to be a dreamer. For me, knowledge was my passion. Knowledge and diplomacy. I spent most of my days in the libraries of the Empire to learn almost everything I could get my claws on. Legends of old, histories of the outside, battle tactics of armies, the procedures of law, almost anything I could learn I did.

Of course, that didn't mean I was a shy little Lizard girl who feared the outside world. I was trained in the arts of the elements. Aerotheurgy, Geomancy, Pyrokinesis and Hydrosophy. I used my spells on training dummies, but I never actually killed anyone with my magic as of yet. And being a member of the House of Law, I trained heavily in the art of speech to achieve diplomacy.

I spent my spare time getting fresh air at the many natural springs in the Empire. I liked to plant my talons of my feet into the dirt and inhale the air around me while the sun warmed the cold blood in my veins. After that, a nice swim in water helped me clean up before returning to my training or studies. I currently am nearing the end of the adolescent period of my life. That is the time of our life where one tends to be directed toward their path to be taken. I was a top student who was selected to have the opportunity to be on one of the highest councils of the House.

But that of course ended when the Divine Order decreed Sourcerers, me included, were to be restrained and rounded up. Why you may ask? Because the use of Source attracted the Voidwoken, monstrous beings who emerged from the Void. The first Voidwoken emerged into our world shortly after Lucian the Divine, the renowned human who was granted divine powers by the Seven Gods, sacrificed himself to defeat the sinister Black Ring in devastating battle several years ago. After his son, Bishop Alexander, took control of the Divine Order, he made the decree to round up the Sourcerers so they wouldn't attract the Voidwoken.

I was unfortunate to be outside the Empire when the decree was made. I was traveling with an envoy to practice my diplomatic skills with those outside the Empire. I remember Divine Order Magisters surrounding me on the streets of the city I was visiting. And the next thing I know, I found myself here.

I proceeded down the hallway to see two Magister guards guarding a door to my right. As I pass, I take a glance through the ajar door to see…

"Good gods!" I gasp and look away. The sight went directly to my stomach. I couldn't believe what I saw. A human, mangled and mutilated into a pile of gore and limbs in the middle of the room. I haven't seen any death first hand in my lifetime, either by my own hands or of someone else. What a rough introduction.

"Easy now- you're paler'n me arse," one of the guards said. "Whyn't yu move along."

I regain my composure.

"Who did this?" I asked.

"Waters is investigating," the guard said. "She'll figure out who did it. Always does. Right now, you should move along."

I look uneasily at the door. Not inside, but rather the frame of the door way. But as I turn to leave, the Magister in the room emerged.

"Hold it," Waters said to me. I stop and look around. "Come here. I have something to ask you."

Fear took a hold of me for a moment. But I take a deep breath. I walk back to the door and follow the Magister inside.

"Ugly sight, isn't it?", she asked me.

I do my best to avert my eyes from the corpse at my feet and fend off the stench flowing into my nostrils. I nod.

"We're extremely lucky no Voidwoken followed the Source that did this," she said. "Burns me up this happened under our protection."

"Protection?" I say. "We're your captives."

"Finn didn't see it like that. He was desperate for us to help him. Two things scared the living daylights out of him: His own Shadow, and his own Source. We'll find out who did this. Speaking of…"

She looked up at me with a mirthless smile.

"I was on duty in your room when the murder happened. You were asleep the whole time. You're one of the only indisputably innocent people on the ship. Unless you can commit murder in your sleep, of course."

"Well, I'm not a Dreamer," I say. "I truly sleep like any other living creature."

"Figured as much. Listen…" she crept forward and leaned her head forward. "I could use someone to keep their ears open among the passengers. Sometimes they clam up in front of a uniform. Bring me a good lead and I'll throw in a shiny gold coin for you. How about that?"

I found it preposterous that this megastar would have me, a prisoner, try to find a murderer and all she would give me would be a pitiful amount of currency. What use would I have for it? Well, I could possibly pay for food to prolong my life, as I've read that some prisons had systems of trade among inmates.

Some part of me wanted her to shove off. But seeing I was defenseless, and these Magisters were well more equipped to resist my normal spells that didn't require Source, I settled on going along with the current situation.

"I'll… I'll see what I can turn up."

"Thanks," waters said. "Now off you go."

I turn and exit the room. The smell still tainted my nostrils. But I proceeded back down the corridor leading to the main hold.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Been a while since I picked up writing again. I'll get to finishing Victory some time in the future though I'm considering doing a rewrite because I'm not particularly happy with the worldbuilding of my post Mass Effect 3 story. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter in my novelization of my original character's story in Divinity Original Sin 2. Tell me if I should be more in line with the material of the story presented or if I should go off tangent more. Either way thank you for reading and see you next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The hold of the ship was filled with two dozen passengers. A third were Magisters standing at attention and patrolling the hold keeping an eye out. The rest of the passengers were a mixture of Lizards, Humans, Dwarves and Elves all clad in rages and each supporting a collar. The scene gave me a discerning sense in my talons below. I was just the latest prisoner to be rounded up and thrown into the cage along with all the rest. Not to mention one of them was a murderer.

As I move across the deck, I see a ball rolling toward me. I lift my talon from the ground and stop the ball under it. I see a trio of human children run toward me. They stop and look up at me. All three of them had Source collars on them. The one in the back looks to be a little nervous. He probably was scared to see a Lizard for the first time. I could understand to a point as humans and Lizards were radically different in appearance and biology. Elves, Humans and Dwarves shared many similarities on the surface. Hair, soft-skin and warm blooded. Only real differences were height and some internal traits. Lizards on the other hand were scaly skinned, cold blooded and instead of strands of hair, many of us had horns on various parts of the body. While the child in the back was hesitant, the other two seemed to be fascinated when they looked at me.

"Wow! Are you a dragon?" the girl of the group said. "You look like a dragon. But... where are your wings?"

The comment made me chuckle a bit. But what made it funny was that there were old legends that Lizards were once Dragons thousands and thousands of years ago. But those were old tales and even I, with my scholarly statues, don't know if they were true. Regardless, I felt alleviated just for a moment. It was enough to make me grin.

"As much as it would be amazing for me to fly, I'm only a simple lizard," I kneel to the children's level.

"My mum is afraid of lizards," the third child said stepping forward. "I'm not! I think you're neat. I'd be happy if I had a tail."

The enthusiasm in the child's voice made me feel warm in my core.

"It's hard for me to imagine other species living without one," I say. "Though I imagine they wouldn't have the problem of it knocking over things in tight spaces or having it get caught in closing doorways."

"Is that what happened to you?" the boy who wasn't afraid of Lizards said.

"Oh yes," I say with a smile remembering my childhood. "I can't remember how many times my family scolded me for accidentally knocking over stacks of books in the family study as a hatchling. But thank you for the kind words. It's heartwarming to know other people think we're a fascinating people."

I grab the ball and I hold it up to the child. He comes over and takes the ball from my hand, but he stays a little moment to feel the texture of my hand and the nails of my claws. I let him do so and his eyes go wide with exactment.

"Do you want to play with us?" the child asked me.

I grin. "Thank you for the offer. But I must be somewhere else for the moment. But perhaps after I'm done, I'll do that."

"Okay," the child said. "Thank you, lizard lady."

The children run off to the corner of the ship they were playing ball in. I feel a sense of happiness, but it is then replaced with dread. To see children rounded up like this wearing these damnable collars. What would be their fate? What would be my fate?

I stand up and proceed the other way around to the center, where I saw the food was served. My stomach growled. It'd had been a while since I'd eaten it seems. Even though I had a feeling the food would be bad, I knew I had to suck it up if I were to keep myself fed.

As I rounded the corner of a pillar, I see a figure tucked away in a dark corner of the hold. I look closer to see it was an elf. I hear her roll a set of dice on the surface of a barrel.

"Snake eyes," she said. Her voice was a low hum, like that of a plotting and confident trickster. I hear her chuckle before following up her sentence. "I'll bet that's just what they'll look like."

I probably would have kept going to keep my distance from this mysterious person, especially with what she was implying with her sentence. But I found myself being drawn to her. Like something you do when you notice something that was familiar. I approach her, the creaking floor boards were loud enough to announce my presence as to not surprise her.

"What are you doing?" I ask her.

She turned her head and looked at me with her two yellow eyes. Though it was for a split second, I could see a little bit of a wince in her gaze, like she wasn't expecting a lizard to be talking to her. But she grinned, probably to stow away something suspicious she planned.

"Rolling dice," She looked back down at the dice. "Deciding fates."

The tone of her voice caused an uneasiness to flow into my legs. I try to keep my composure together. I have several years of public speaking training after all. I should keep sturdy, shouldn't I?

"Who's fate?" I ask.

"Don't worry, honey," she said. "It isn't yours."

As soon as she said that, she looked me up and down with a merest hint of a coy smile.

"Never say never though."

"If…if you're deciding fates with dice, you think you can see the future?"

She eyed me quite seriously.

"Not the future, no," she said. "But I can read the past in flesh. One of the perks of being an elf, you see. I'm quite good at it too."

I knew that the elves were a race that were cannibalistic in their society from my studies. But this trait of reading the past by eating the remains of someone who's died, it caught my attention.

"I could lick your arm and tell you how you spent the night before last. Shall I?"

At first, I feel hesitant. Letting this skiving looking character touch my arm, not to mention lick it. For some reason, I feel enthralled to see if this trait was true.

"Why not?" I hold out my arm down toward her. It wasn't like I should be concerned about my cleanliness in a place like this.

She takes a hold of my arm with both hands. She leans her head in. She closed her eyes and ran her tongue against the platted surface. She tilted her head up, staring into the air with her eye lids still closed.

"Hmmm..." she said. I see her eyes move behind her eye lids, like she was interpreting a vision coming into her mind. "You were in a cellar with other Sourcerers. As everyone lay sleeping you lay awake thinking of someone back home. A very special someone."

 _Brell._

"You were...reminiscing about the things you used to do together."

My dearest friend. A noble in the House of Law. We were friends as children. I remember going out to the springs with him and other friends I had. But after a while, we stopped seeing each other until much later in my life after earning my recognition as a scholar. Brell had become a business man, earning very sizable income for his family's legacy. My family took notice had arranged a marriage with him, so our families would be merged to become more influential in the Empire. Before my capture, he proposed and gave me the wedding band. I accepted. Unfortunately, I was needed to travel to the outside world before the ceremony could take place. I feel even more dread within me. I longed to return home. To return to my parents, to return to Brell.

I feel the Elf let go of my arm. It returns to my side. I hang my head down in embarrassment. I feel her pat my other arm. I look over at her.

"There, there. Don't you worry, darling," She said with another coy smile. "Your secret's safe with me. I don't lick and tell."

I feel somewhat reassured. When my mind completely returns to the present, I remember the pressing issue on the boat.

"There's… there's a murderer on the loose."

"Yes. Everyone on this boat knows," the elf said.

"Well, perhaps you could help with the investigation with this skill."

I hide away my suspicion that she could be the murderer. In the Empire, there were several murder cases that were highly organized, and the least suspicious person turned out to be the mastermind behind it.

"Why would I do that?" she said. "It's of no benefit to any of us. At the end of the day, we're still cattle rounded up to be sent to the slaughter."

She did have a point. A point that I was denying the moment I told Waters I'd cooperate.

"My advice; just stay silent and defend yourself if the murderer comes after you next. Besides, I never leave the people I kill in a mangled mess like that."

She turns back to the barrel. I turn and leave her be. Elves were very mysterious creatures. Though I was a scholar and learned so much from the texts, there still wasn't a real understanding of the inner workings of the Elven society. Especially since there were relatively less of them compared to the other races in Rivellon.

I walk down to the mess area of the hold where several Sourcerers were sitting at the tables eating whatever food was available. I look to the serving counter and see a Lizard serving stew to the Sourcerers lining up. The last person in line was another Lizard, a red male one.

"You call this food?" the red lizard held the bowl of stew up, shaking it and spilling some of it onto the floor. "I am nobility! I deserve more than this slop."

"It's all that's available," the lizard server said. "I'm sorry."

"I refuse to consume anything that's below my standards!" He tossed the bowl to his left, the stew spilling everywhere. "If you were a cook in the Empire, you would have been castrated for this insulting quality."

He turns away and sees me waiting to get a bowl for myself.

"Well, well! What have we here?" The red lizard looked at me with a pondering gaze. "A fresh face in this stale hell. Let's size you up, shall we? See if you'll do."

I get an uncomfortable feeling seeing him looking me up and down. Suddenly, I feel him grab me by the chin. I feel him casually turn my head to the left or the right. Probably looking into my mouth to see my teeth. For the moment, I feel frozen, not from fear, but rather surprise. No lizard I knew of acted like this. I mean, some nobles in the House of Law acted snooty and were obsessive about their appearance, Brell included after I met him again after so long. But this lizard, I had a hunch where he came from.

"Mmmmm...There's some discoloration, but I've seen worse," He lets me go. I adjust my head back to look down at him. "After all, one can't expect to find prime merchandise on a squalid little ship like this."

 _Oh dear._

"Now then, to business. You will answer me three questions. The first one is this: can you cook?"

The question hung over me. I didn't know what to do.

"Well…" I say. "I've learned enough skills to prepare something that can do the job, if I were given ingredients."

"Ah! Music to my beleaguered Stomach!" he said. "On to the second question. Can you knit, weave, in short: tailor?"

Having lived in a home without servants, I had to learn some skills from mother early on in my life.

"Yeah, I have some skills thanks to the family activities as a hatchling."

"Oh, but to feel the caress of satin on my scarlet skin once more! A most satisfactory answer indeed!" He seemed excited now. As if hoping the next question would be answered correctly.

"On then, to my final query. Have you the ability to administer the upkeep of one's personal appearance? The delicate art of cosmetics is what I'm after."

Having been acquainted with Brell's family who were nobles, they taught me a thing or two about this sort of thing.

"Some," I say. "I'm acquainted with perfumes, though it wasn't my passion."

"The very basics then. I suppose that's a start. So! Three questions asked, three questions answered. Let's evaluate, shall we? As per your own testimony, you can cook, tailor and groom. Well, that just about settles it!"

He speaks with a great amount of pride.

"I offer you my sincerest congratulations: as of now, you are my slave!"

Yep. It confirmed my suspicion. He was defiantly a member of the House of War. The House of War was notorious for their practice of slavery. From what I heard, there were several stories within the Forbidden City and those of slavery were the most notorious. It was said that Lizardkin were no longer cast as slaves in the Ancient Empire, while other races who were born within were set within their cast. I myself have only encountered several servants in the House of Law, Brell's family included. From what I've seen, they seemed to be treated fairly. But I did remember that Brell got upset at one of the servants who botched a stitching job and scolded her severely.

But the House of War? Anything seemed possible. In the early days, there were stories that many lower classed kin were brought to be servants and concubines for the nobles. This one must have had plenty based on his behavior.

"Really?" I say, mustering up enough sarcasm to hopefully give him the message.

"Of course! Oh, but I see. Yes, I suppose it must take some time for the full extent of this honor to sink in."

I was really surprised to see that he seemed to not receive any of my sarcasm. The delusion of this snooty character was astounding.

"Anyway, you may leave me for the moment. We'll go over your duties once we reach Fort Joy. Now shoo."

I snort a sigh. I look to see the server had another bowl ready for me. I grab it and give her a nod to show my gratitude. It wasn't the most formal greeting we lizards usually gave each other, but it had to do to get away from this delusional snoot to his bickering.

I find a vacant table. I maneuver my tale over the pew and sit. I look down at the stew and I smell it. I could pick up the scent of stale turnip. A very big departure from the foods I ate in the comfort of the Empire. But with my stomach growling, I really had no choice. I sucked up my disgust and brought the bowl to my lips. I blow the stew a little and dip my forked tongue into the liquid. By the time my tongue returned into my mouth, the taste hit me. The red lizard was right, it was slop. But what choice did I have? I muster up my body again and tilt the bowl up and I start drinking from it. Each gulp sent an up pleasant surge of disgust to my tongue. But I pressed on. Gulp after gulp after gulp until it was finally over. I exhale and pant. Some of the other nearby passengers chuckled at my little performance.

"First time drinking turnip stew eh, scale skin?" a nearby dwarf laughed. "Guess you haven't had a natural meal outside your precious Empire, huh?"

I say nothing and get up. I found Dwarves to be the most absurd bunch of the warm-blooded species. Their unusual accents and their common sarcastic behavior made it feel like they were living a literal comedy their whole life. Especially since almost every single one tended to be associated with mead, beer and anything that involved alcohol.

I move up to the left side of the hold where the door to the Magister's Quarters was. As I approached the doorway, I see a Magister staring at a corner of a support beam. I walk passed the beam and I see what he is looking at. I see a scruffy human man lounging against the beam with his arms folded. His bearded face wore a sly smile with his eyes on the Magister guarding him. His hair and beard were a color of dark gray, indicating he was older than most of the humans here. Based on my studies of humans, I would estimate he was in his later thirty-year range. He looks over at me and he straightens himself. I stop and look down at him. He raises a hand and beckons me to come closer to him. But before I could do that, the Magister looking at him raised his voice.

"Watch your back, new fish," he said. I look back at the Magister. "There's a murderer on board, and I'd bet three months' pay it's this tramp Ifan."

I turn back at the human Sourcerer, Ifan. He rolled his eyes. He gestured his hand again for me to come closer. With some hesitation, I do so. He leaned in, and with a steady hand, he grasped my collar and gave a sharp tug. I expected there to be another surge of pain through my throat. But to my surprise, there's a relaxation on my slender neck. The collar was balanced and didn't press on my neck as much. I look back at Ifan. He gave me a wink.

"Pinches less that way, right?" he said.

"Yes," I said. "T-thank you."

He smiled and gave a nod to me. Of the all the warm-blooded species, humans were the ones I found to be the most… interesting. They were the most adaptable and influential of the races of Rivillan. Even before Lucian's rise, humanity's adaptability and tenacity allowed their species to spread across the major contents and create major kingdoms that could even rival the Empire itself. And that tenacity was what many species, my kin included, were afraid of. Their influence has a cultural hold on Rivillan and most of the leaderships show no signs of quarter toward other species.

Up until today, I haven't had much interaction with humans save a few of the servants in the noble houses my family brought me to visit. I was to get my taste of real human interaction with the envoy trip but then I found myself interacting with humans barring over me. Now this human, I could sense something about him.

I look back at the Magister glowering at the both of us.

"Why does he suspect it was you?" I ask Ifan.

"We used to know each other, more's the pity," Ifan said. "I was his commander many, many, many moons ago."

He looked back at the Magister.

"Isn't that right, Vik?"

The Magister pointed a finger from his hand and he drew it across his throat. Looks like Ifan hit a nerve.

"Same as he was at fourteen years old," Ifan said with a grin of pointed white teeth. "Only difference is somebody gave him a bigger sword and now he's Johnny Big-Pants."

I grin. But then I stow it away.

"So…did you really do it?"

"No," he said. "The dead man- Finn, is it? I'd no business with him. And I wouldn't put a man down without good reason."

He looked back at magister Vik.

"Damn shame sheer annoyance isn't enough."

His voice sounded sincere enough. I could tell this man had killed several people. Like a professional with discipline and restraint. But surprisingly, I didn't feel as afraid as I was when I spoke to the elf on the other side of the hold.

"Have you… heard anything about the place they're taking us?" I ask him.

"The Joy?" Ifan said. "I've heard a lot. Nothing good. No surprise there, since Bishop Alexander runs the show. Wonder if we'll get to meet the ringmaster himself..."

The thought gave me a little ting of fear. Meet the man who responsible for having me taken away from my home and family? All I wanted was to leave and get home as soon as possible.

"That's one acquaintance I'm not eager to make."

"Not eager to bow before the great Bishop Alexander, son of the Divine himself?" Ifan said. "My sentiments exactly..." he takes a quick glance at Viktor. "But Vik here'll blow a blood vessel if he hears you talking like that."

"What are you conspiring about over there?" Vik found himself a little distracted and snapped. "You! Lizard!"

I snap my body up and turn straight at the Magister.

"What's your name?" he asks me.

"Ah, don't mind him," Ifan calmly said. "Vik's just got a bee in his bonnet. And that bee is me."

"NAME!" Vik snapped.

The fear in me wins over.

"M-Mahalia!"

He took out a tiny notebook and scrawled down my name into it. He put it away in a pocket in his red robes and looks back at me.

"Away with you. At once!"

I look back at Ifan. He winks and puts a finger in front of his lips, pantomiming to keep quiet. I shoot back a grin at him before I leave him to lean back against the wall. I pass angry Magister Vik and walk up to the door leading to the Magister Quarters.

I haven't turned up anything for Waters from the characters I conversed with so far. Perhaps I could talk to others after I was registered.

The Magister guarding the door looks over at me when I stop at the door.

"Here to register, ma'am?" he asked. I nod.

"Good, good. Magister William is just about done with the last passenger. You farin' okay so far?"

Considering I was held captive and taken from my people, it could be worse. But it could be so much better. But I decide not to make things harder than they were.

"Fine," I mutter.

"Glad to hear it. You head on in now. William'll get you sorted fast."

He turned and opened the door. I walk inside. But little did I know what would happen next.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I stop when I see three Magisters facing down a single Sourcerer in the middle of the room. This Sourcerer was an old human woman with an appearance of a haggard witch you'd imagine from tales told in forest towns. Two Magisters trained their cross bows at her while the third, who I assumed to be William, spoke to the Sourcerer.

"So you admit it then? You murdered that poor fellow?"

The Sourcerer replied with a voice that matched her withering appearance.

"Yes, I did."

Well, seems the investigation was closed. Looks like I won't be able to get that coin from Waters after all. The Sourcerer continued.

"But, of course, that was only the beginning..."

The chill ran down my spine before she even looked over at me.

"There are others whose lives must end," the look in her eye told me everything.

"Good gods, the woman's mad!" One of the Magisters exclaimed.

"You there, Sourcerer!" Magister William said to me. "Go and fetch Magister Siwan! We need to do more than collar this maniac: we need to shackle her, hands and feet!"

The pressure came down on me. Everything was happening so fast. The murderer was before me threatening to kill more people. I was told to get the one who put my collar on by the people who took us prisoner. The choices ran through my head. Do I do what the Magisters told me again? Do I take the side of this wretched woman to create a mutiny to save myself? Everything was too much for me to choose. I stumble and all I could say was:

"W-what did you mean 'There are others whose lives must end?'"

She smiled a most sinister smile.

"It means your journey draws to a close. Do stick around for its finale though. Because..."

She took her hand, grabbed her collar…

…and popped it right off.

"I'm just about to create a scene."

She dropped the useless piece of metal to the floor.

"Subdue her, men! Quickly!" William exclaimed. He was afraid for sure. "If she casts Source, the Voidwoken will come! They'll end us all!"

The Magisters fired their crossbows. But the bolts redirected from the collarless Sourcerer and staked into the wall behind her. She opened her eyes and smiled with wicked satisfaction.

"Precisely."

The next thing I know, I'm launched off my feet and my body slams into the door. The world fades away.

* * *

"What's..."

I feel a throbbing in my brain. I opened my eyes and rubbed my hand against my head to regain my bearings a second time.

"What's happened?"

I twisted my body and brought myself to my feet. My vision returned. I looked back to where the Sourcerer was before she launched me across the room. She was gone. Instead, there were three burned corpses of the Magisters laying on the ground. First time I saw death I nearly puked. Now there were several dead around me. The room was a mess with small fires in the corners of the room. It wouldn't be long before those would spread and engulf the ship.

I look back at the door to the hold. What happened to the other passengers? I grab a hold of the handle and pull. It was jammed. I pull and pull but to no avail.

"HELLO!" I shout out. I bang on the door. "IS ANYONE THERE?!"

No response. Was I a lone survivor?

The answer came when I heard distant clanking of swords and yelling above decks. People were fighting above. But who was fighting who? Without Magisters around me, it was my chance to possibly escape. But I needed a weapon.

I see a chest in the back of the room. I walked over and tried to open it. It was locked. I look over and I see a key on the corpse of Magister William. I take it and sure enough it worked. I open the chest. As I suspected, it was the contraband pile. I see several weapons piled in. Among them, I find the one I need. A wand. It wasn't the finest wand, but it was going to have to do. Then I saw another thing in the chest. I couldn't believe my luck. It was the wedding band from Brell. I take it and I slip it onto my finger.

Before I leave I look over at the linen table and see a fresh ham on the table. The danger was creeping in, but I felt the need to eat at least something that wasn't bad. I walk over to the table and I take large bite of the ham and turn to run up the stairs while I scarf down the chunk of meat.

When I reach the top of the stairs, I feel the ship tremble and throw me off balance. I hear creaking of wood above and below. Something was happening to the ship. What was it? The ship felt like it was bending and was going to snap into splinters at some point.

Several dead magisters on were the ground. I see a pile of debris blocking a doorway on the left lane of the hold while the right lead to an empty room, no way out. In the middle was a door with a white human skull painted all over it. I come up to the door and grab a hole of the nob.

 _Locked! Damn it!_

I look over at the nearby Magisters on the ground.

 _Perhaps…_

I walk to the nearest one. I search his pockets but find nothing. I moved to the next. I found some spare coin in his pocket. I put into my rags but still nothing helpful. I move over to the third one. And sure enough, I found a key. I just prayed it was the one for the door.

The ship trembled again. This time more violently and I could hear a distinct sound. Like something was pounding on the hull of the ship. Was it…? Could it be…? It was too much to think about. I needed to keep moving.

I go up to the door and use the key. I open the door only to see cargo hold with no way out except the door I was standing in. Suddenly, I see a massive tentacle emerge from one of the windows and it breaks into several of the boxes. The room suddenly turned a haunting shade of green.

"Deathfog!" I shout. The sudden realization forced me to run straight back to the door. I jumped out just as the fog reached the door way. I slammed into the ground. Did I catch a whiff of the fog? I try to take several deep breaths. I feel my body hasn't been affected. But when I looked back at the door, I could see the Deathfog seeping into the room. I picked myself up and I make my way up the left side of the deck.

Without any other way to go, I had to find a way through the debris blocking the left side. I scan the pile, looking for an opening. When I don't find any, I feel around to try to find a loose spot. I find a spot. I take a hold and pull. It takes some strength, but I eventually get off. When I toss the piece of wood, I see a very small opening. Too small for me to crawl through. But the rubble was loose around it. I use my claws and dig. Chunks of the wood peeled off and the hole grew bigger. It's one of the benefits of being a lizard. Your claws can dig through dirt and debris and our scaly skin makes our hands resistant to splinters. Once the hole was large enough, I dip my head in and start to crawl. My slender body was able maneuver through without much problem. But three-quarters the way through, I felt my waste get caught between a wedge of the wood.

"Damn it!" I exclaim.

I wiggle my lower body. I pull and thrust myself forward until another rattling of the ship managed to loosen the pile just enough for me to pull out. I was free and plopped out of the pile.

"Whew," I said to myself. I look up to see a set of stairs leading up. I get to my feet and ascend. The stairs lead me to the top of the deck. It was then that I caught the full scale of the chaos that was happening. Magisters we spread everywhere, swinging their swords, firing their arrows and casting their spells at…

"VOIDWOKEN!"

I had never seen voidwoken in the flesh before, only drawings the observers made when they encountered them all those years ago after Lucian's sacrifice. Many were described as insectoid beings while others were amphibious monsters. These voidwoken were the smaller ones that took the appearance of grub-like monsters. They slithered over the deck as the Magisters did what they could to fend them off.

In the chaos, I ran across the deck as the rain of the storm slathered the deck making it difficult to keep my footing. Fire raged across the deck blocking many of my routes to find a lifeboat. I move up the port side of the deck. Two voidwoken turn and come right at me. I stop and take my stance, wand at the ready.

My heart was racing. I had never taken a life, nor have I had to use my magic in defense. But I needed to overcome if I was going to survive. I take a slow sigh in the chaos and I recall the spells I've practiced. Without source, I couldn't amplify my spells to put more power into them. I would have to make do with what I had. I recall the spell and channeled it through my arm into the wand. I pull my arm back, then I swing it forward in the voidwoken's direction. Lightning shoots out of the wand and connects to the nearest voidwoken causing it to stop and lurch. I chose the right spell. With the rain making them wet, the voidwoken were susceptible to being stunned from the lightning. The lightning surged from the first voidwoken, seeped onto the soaked deck and jumped to the second one and did the same to it.

 _Okay. Now follow it up._

I recall the next spell. I concentrate and lift my arms above. Then I bring them both down. The air above condensed and three shards of ice fell and landed on top of the voidwoken. They both shattered into a hundred pieces. My first kills and they were monsters. I shouldn't have been unsettled, but I did feel something remorseful taking a life. But the heat of the moment kept me from lamenting. I came out of my stance and continued across the deck.

I make it to the stern side to see no life boats. But what was there was the sight of the thing that was pounding on the ship. Massive tentacles emerge and grasped the ship. Was it…? It had to be the monster from my dream.

"It won't budget!" the Magister manning the wheel shouted. "This monster, it..."

He couldn't say 'jammed the rudders' because another tentacle slammed on top of him turning him into red paste. The tentacle also slammed into barrels of oil causing the spilled contents to ignite from the sparse sets of fire across the deck. The explosion spread causing me to run the other way to the starboard side. I slipped and slid across the deck a short way. I bring my head up and look.

 _A lifeboat!_

I dig my claws into the wood and prop myself up. I see a dwarf and three other passengers who were in the boat trying to lower.

"Wait!" I shout. Thankfully it did. I saw the other passengers were the three children I encountered in the hold.

"Get in!" the Dwarf shouted over the rain. "We're casting off now!"

"Wait, wait!" one of the children shouted. "You said there were other people down there! We... we need to help them!"

"You see those tentacles, kid? It's time for gettin' the hell out of here."

"Please! We can't leave them!"

The ship didn't have long. But my conscious kept me from wanting to leave no matter how badly I wanted to go home. I had to go back and save whoever was still alive.

"I'll go back and get them!" I shouted.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the child shouted in quick succession.

"Is there a way back into the hold?"

"There's a ladder right over there. You can go straight down!"

I look over and see the ladder.

"Okay, I'll be back!"

"You're going to be the death of us. You hear?" the Dwarf said.

I suck in a cold breath of air, dig my talons into the wood, and break for the hatch. Once there, I grabbed the handle and pull as hard as my body allowed. The hatch opens and immediately I put my talons down onto the ladder and descend.

When I reach the bottom, I turn, and I see the familiar hallway I passed through when I woke up. The magisters guarding the door to the room where Waters was were gone. I ran back into the hold to see that there were several Sourcerers who were still alive amongst several Magisters who were dead. Thank the gods at least some survived.

"Everyone!" I shout. "If you can walk, get yourself up the ladder! There's a b..."

Before I could finish, the deck shook and several parts of the floor and ceiling broke.

"Wait!" I shouted. "Voidwoken!"

The monsters lurched up and down on to the deck, causing the surviving Sourcerers to ready themselves and grab whatever weapons there were off the dead Magisters. I draw my wand and look to see which voidwoken was closest. There was one to my right that slithered toward me. I take my stance and recall the spell. But I stop before I channel the spell when I saw the elf I spoke to earlier leap up behind the voidwoken. She landed on it with two daggers in her hands. With elegant motions and swift movement, she thrusted the daggers in and out of the monster's body, countering any movement the voidwoken tried to make against her until she rolled off leaving it to fall to the ground dead.

"Huh," she said readying for the next to come her way. "Let the games begin..."

I turn around and see other sourcerers fighting off the voidwoken. I move up and spot one moving in on the red lizard from behind.

"Behind you!" I shout and hastily swing the wand in my hand toward the voidwoken. The small fire ball that launched from the wand landed right on target. I got its attention just enough to allow the lizard to swing the sword he got off a dead Magister around and slice the voidwoken in two.

"Thanks!" he said.

I scan the room again to see the nearest voidwoken. None were focused on me. But instead I saw that Ifan was still alive and was facing down a voidwoken ready to pounce. I ready myself to strike the voidwoken but it already made its move. It lurched forward and Ifan made his move too. He side-stepped, took the dagger in his hand and brought it down onto the creature. But it recovered quickly and lurched itself into Ifan. They both slammed into a stack of barrels. The restraints broke, and the barrels came down and buried both of them.

"Ifan!" I shouted and ran toward him. The other voidwoken were dealt with by the others and they ran for the ladder.

"Ugh…" Ifan moaned under the pile of barrels. It seemed the voidwoken took the brunt of the barrels as it wasn't moving.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Ugh… I'll live," He said. "I'm stuck."

"I'm on it," I say.

I dig through the debris, alleviating the weight on Ifan's body. He groaned as he crawled trying to pull himself out. After a few more seconds of digging, he crawled out and collapsed onto the floor. I kneel to his side. I grab him and pull him to his feet.

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah," Ifan said. He shook his head and stretched his body for a quick moment. "Thanks."

He took his footing and began to move forward. He and I ran across the deck as cracks began to spread down the hull. We made it to the hall. We were about to turn and go up the ladder but then I heard a gargling sound from the back of the hall. I pull my head back and look to see Magister Siwan on the ground. I saw her throat was cut and she weakly flailed her arms on the ground. She was barely clinging on to life.

Should I try to save her too? She was a Magister and she was responsible for the collar on my neck. But no one deserved to die like that.

But the snapping of the walls pulls me out of the moment. I turn, and I run to the ladder. I saw Ifan was half way up the ladder by the time I started to climb.

"Come on!" Ifan said at the top waiting for me. When I emerge to the storm covered deck, he started to run, and I followed behind him. We were halfway to the boat when another rattle caused the both of us to stumble and loose our balance. By the time we regained our balance, I looked up and I saw another tentacle coming straight down toward us.

"Watch out!" I shouted. I shoved Ifan out of the way and leapt backward onto my back just as the tentacle slammed onto the deck. I watched as the tentacle took hold of the deck and started to pull. The ship was about to be split in two. On the other side of the tentacle, I see Ifan looking over at me. I couldn't get across to him.

"GO!" I shouted. "GET TO THE BOAT!"

He reluctantly turned and ran for the lifeboat. I try to get up, but the deck was too slippery. I look up again. I saw the lifeboat release and fall. In that moment, there was a pause in time. A moment passes. Then…

The ship snapped in half and the deck was pulled from under my feet, leaving me to scream as I fell to the sea below.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Got the prologue finished. Now on to the meat of the story, which will be a real challenge. Thank you for reading and giving me feedback helps me greatly.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _I have plans for you, child._

* * *

My eyes shot open and my body contorted. I coughed the sea water out of my lungs desperate to replace it with much needed air. I feel my body hunched over on wet sand. My vision begins to clear. I was on a beach. The sun was shining on the golden sand. I was alive?

I crawl up the beach and collapse onto a rock. The coughing suddenly turned to sobbing. All the terror and chaos of the night before grabbed me, like the lingering emotions of a nightmare. But it wasn't a nightmare. It was real. It happened. I was about to die. The Voidwoken trying to kill me, the collapsing debris of the ship, and the waves of the storm dragging me down into the depths of the sea. The thoughts of never seeing my family or Brell again. I couldn't hold it back anymore. I curl my body into a ball and let the tears flow out of my eyes.

Several minutes pass before I could collect myself. I relax my muscles and lay out my body. I feel the sun barring down on my scales. I breath in the scent of the sea and let the rays of the sun warm the cold blood in my veins. The stress and unease faded away and my mind relaxed. A few more moments pass, and my mind was clear enough to process what I needed to do. I lift my body up and bring myself to my feet. I observe my surroundings. Along the beach there was a tall rock wall and pockets of dense foliage restricting my options of movement inland. The only way leading anywhere else was down the beach.

 _Okay. Move forward. Find out where you are._

I move my talon forward, and my body followed. I proceeded down the beach, turning the corner of a rock formation to a longer stretch of the beach. As I moved down the stretch of sand, I saw pillars and walls of ruins littering the beach side. There was a presence here. As if the spirt of the structures long gone was lingering still. I didn't need to have the senses of a mystic to feel this uneasy presence. I eventually made it to an incline of rock. I move up the not-so steep formation to the top. I see in the distance a fort planted in the side of the coast. I didn't need to see the Divine Order flag waving from the spires to know where I was.

"Fort Joy," I mutter to myself. Out of the frying pan, and into another. At least I think that's how the human saying goes. So much for escaping the ship and surviving almost by miracle.

But my hopes weren't completely erased when I spot something a stroll down the beach a good distance from the fort. I make my way down the rock toward it. It was the lifeboat Ifan and the other surviving Sourcerers escaped from the ship on. That meant they must be alive and here too.

Considering that I was far from home, and trapped on a prison island, it probably would be a good idea to find some friends to watch each other's backs.

 _Okay. Find some friends. Find a way out. Simple, right?_

And it seemed my plan was already in motion when I spotted someone standing on a nearby peninsular rock stretching out to the sea.

Was it one of the survivors? Could it be one of the possible friends I needed? I move down the beach and approach the rock. The outline of the person became clearer. It was a lizard. He was looking out toward the horizon with a steady, malcontent stare. It was a scene that could be captured in a painting that could speak a thousand words. But the awe of this scene and the excitement of finding a friend drained from me when I noticed that his scales were the color of blood-red.

 _Great._

"Well at least I know at least one person survived the attack on the boat thanks to my idiotic bravery," I say behind his back not even hoping that my sarcasm would get through to him.

He turns his head to notice me, then he turns about with the graceful ease of a dancer…or a dualist considering that he most likely was from the House of War. His eyes were two smoldering embers that sizzled and somehow peered into me. A very different display than the one I saw in the hold of the prison ship.

"I did survive, yes," he said, glancing down at his claws. "And chances are I wouldn't have, had you not returned to aid of your fellow passengers down in that dreadful hold. You have my gratitude."

He put his hand over his heart and saluted me with a bob of the head which was more of a nod than a bow.

"One good turn does deserve another, so as far as the whole slave business is concerned, let's just forget about it. You may as well have your freedom!"

I was ready to throw another sarcastic insult at him, but he surprised me so much I held back. Last night he had the nerve to take ahold of me and claim me to be his new slave but here he was saying he no longer considered me one. I didn't consider a person like him to do that.

"W-well…" I say. I shifted my stance left and right projecting my surprise in clear daylight. "T-thank you."

"You're quite welcome," the Red Lizard said. "Now might I ask how you've managed to arrive here alive? The last I recall, you were still on the deck of the ship telling that human to run before that foul monster destroyed the ship."

"I-I… honestly have no idea," I tell him. I dig into the reaches of my mind to remember whatever I could amongst the terror and panic of being thrown around by the waves of the storm. "The… the last thing I remember was me sinking into the sea. Then… I heard a voice telling me something. I saw a light then… then the next thing I know, I'm on this beach coughing up sea water."

The Red Lizard pondered what I said. I wasn't sure if he thought my story wasn't believable or not, but he responded.

"Considering how severe that storm was, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Zorl-Stissa herself who spared your life."

Considering how amazed I was to find myself alive on this beach, I wouldn't be surprised if the Goddess of the Lizards herself did save me.

"Maybe," I say. I move on to the next subject. "Are the others who were on the lifeboat here too?"

"Yes," the lizard said. "They're all alive thanks to your bravery. They've all gone their separate ways. Most went up to the fort while… others decided to preserve the feeling of serenity of the open world."

He turns and looks out to the horizon again, as if he was looking at something that he felt was within reach. I hear him sigh.

"Tell me," he said. "What do you see when you cast your glace over this ocean."

I look at the horizon with him. The waves lap against my thoughts from several tranquil moments.

"I see… memories. Memories of my childhood. With my parents and playing in the warm sun."

"Memories," he repeated absently. "Quite so."

He observes the horizon for another moment be for turning back to me. I peal my gaze from the sea and bring it to his.

"As for myself, when I consider this vast expanse before us, I see an empire."

"I know what you mean," I say. "I miss the scent of home as much as you do."

"It's more than that," he said. "I miss the continents dotted with mighty cities. I miss the shimmering along the soft curve of the sea's horizon. But what I miss the most… the palaces that formed my paradise... lost."

I tilt my head.

"'Your' paradise? Lost? What do you mean?"

He responded as if offended. "What do you mean, 'what do I mean'? I mean just what I say: I had a very actual Empire that I lost."

There was a silence between us as he stared at me with utter incredulity.

"Well don't just stand there gawking like an ape at an abacus! Or do you really mean to tell me you don't know who I am?"

I put my scholarly brain into motion to figure out what he was talking about. If he was talking about the Empire and he was talking about it as it was 'his', then that would mean…

"No..." I say with my eyes wide open in awe. The pieces were together, and they showed that he was…

"You...you can't be the notorious Red Prince!"

The Lizard grinned an almost devilish grin.

"The very same! I am the Red Prince! The All-Conqueror, The World-Tamer. The Spouse of the Sun. Of course you know me!"

I did indeed know him. The Red Prince was a figure of grandiose coming from the House of War. Stories told of how he, as a general, directed the Empire's armies and won wars without even leaving the comfort of his own palace. But for some reason, he was cast out and disgraced for something only those behind the walls of the Forbidden City knew about.

There was a brief pause between us. The grandiloquent pose he took deflated.

"Well I guess I was right in my assumption that you were from the House of War when we were aboard the ship," I say.

The Red Prince snorted. I didn't know if it was from amusement or sarcasm.

"Well… thanks for telling me who you are. But I must be off," I turn to walk away.

"Wait!" the Red Prince said. I stopped and turned back. "Where are you going?"

"To… find the human and the elf who were on the lifeboat. I need their help to find a way out of here."

"Those two lower creatures? And not one of your own kin?"

"I…I didn't know you wanted to travel with me. I assumed that since you didn't consider me a slave anymore that you wanted nothing to do with me."

"Just because I let you free does not mean I am not in need of soldiers on the battlefield. A battle cannot be won without soldiers working in unison to fight it. I am in need of some able bodies if I am able to leave this place to reclaim my throne."

I felt torn. This lizard was of royalty of our people. But at the same time, I didn't feel he would be helpful with his attitude. But in the end, I was only one young wizard who had no prior combat experience and would surely parish in a fight on my own if I came across any other foe, be it Magister, Voidwoken or any other danger these far away lands held in store for me.

"Okay," I say. "We can use each other's' help in escaping this place. Once we've escaped, we'll both head home to the Empire."

"Jolly good," He nodded and gave a smile that was on the line of courtesy and contempt. "Before we depart there are certain things I must take care of here."

"What do you need?"

"I've reason to believe a Dreamer is on this island. The first step in regaining my throne is finding this mystic for reasons I will not disclose right now. Unless by chance you are a Dreamer yourself."

I shake my head. "I'm afraid I come from the House of Law."

"Then you must help me find this Dreamer."

"Sounds simple enough."

"Alright then. Second thing you need to know. As you're aware you'll be travelling with a prince. Proper forms of address include 'Your Majesty', 'Your Royal Highness', or if you're feeling particularly frivolous, 'Milord'. And as luck would have it, I seem to be fresh out of luggage, so you won't be required to carry my belongings. Of course, there are other forms of protocol to bear in mind, but I'll see to it you'll pick up the rest as we go."

I tilt my head. "Of course… 'milord.'"

"Excellent!" The Red Prince said "So, without further ado: let us be off!"

"My name's Mahilia by the way," I say.

"I'll do my best to remember that," the Red Prince said. But I could sense he probably wasn't going to commit it.

I turn away and I hear the Red Prince walk down from the rock and step behind me. I didn't know if I made a good choice traveling with this man. He could be more of a burden than a benefit. But I couldn't do anything about it now. I needed to find the others and then figure out what we could about this island and if there was a way out of here.

We proceeded together down the beach. He walked by my side, slightly ahead of me. I wasn't much of a leader, so I guess it made sense that the heir to the throne would be the one to lead this band of convicts. But the fact he was famous for winning battles that he did not attend to had me worried. He directed the legions of our best kin into the bloodshed of battle while the lower officers made the decisions to direct the soldiers to fight the enemy forces at the ground level. That disconnection could be costly since we were only two individuals who weren't equipped, and in my cased trained, to fight against enemies that outnumbered us. Perhaps I should talk to him about how he planned to fight if we got into that situation, though I hoped we would not have to after what happened on the ship. Before I could speak to the Red Prince, I hear a voice shout out.

"Lizard Lady!"

I look up to find three human children running toward me. And to my surprise, they were the three children from the ship. I gasp with exactment and a surge of joy flows though my body. I kneel and hold out my arms awaiting them. All three of them, including the one who seemed afraid of Lizards, clumped together and we all gave each other a large hug. The Red Prince just rolled his eyes and looked aside.

"By the gods, I'm so happy to see you're all okay," I say to the children.

"We're happy too," the girl of the group said. "When we saw the ship break apart, we thought for sure you were dead."

"How'd you survive?" another child asked.

"I honestly don't know," I think back to that moment in the water. "Perhaps it was an actual miracle from the Gods."

"You really think so?"

I nod.

"Well I'm happy that they saved your life," the girl said. "You deserved to since you went to help those people in the hold."

"Couldn't live with myself if I didn't try," I smile, and the children smile back. "Might I ask your names? That way we can keep better track of each other."

"I'm Trice," the girl of the group said.

"My name is Paulie," the red head boy who wasn't afraid of lizards said.

"Sandy," the blond boy who was hesitant to speak to me on the ship said.

"My name is Mahilia."

"That's a lovely name," Trice said.

"Thank you," I say warmly.

"Might I inquire we move on?" The Red Prince said, obviously impatient. "There are more important matters to attend to than conversing with these annoying brats."

"Hey!" Sandy said. "That's not nice!"

"Oh, do shut your mouth," he said. "You shouldn't talk back to greater species let alone royalty."

"I don't like that red lizard," Trice said to me. "He's rude."

I glance at the Red Prince then back at Trice, "That he is. But he's going to help us escape this place."

"We're escaping?" Paulie turned his head toward me. "You mean you're bringing us with you?"

"What?" the Red Prince looked over at me. "You can't possibly believe we can look after these brats. They'll only slow us down."

I want to respond swiftly to him be I stop myself when I think about the bigger picture for the moment. The ship was a different story since it was just a trip down the ladder. But here, there were so many unknown variables that could lead to disastrous results.

"Well… they can be helpful," I say to the Red Prince.

"How?" he gives me a stern look.

But before I could answer, Sandy spoke up. "We could act as scouts."

"Yeah," Paulie said. "We can squeeze into areas you couldn't and find things that can be useful."

"In fact, we found something that can help you out right now."

Trice reached behind her and pulled out, wouldn't you know it, a new wand. Having lost the one I had when I fell into the sea, this was an invaluable replacement.

"Thank you very much," I say as she hands me it.

"You're welcome," Trice said. "Just be careful not to have it out inside the Fort. The Magisters take away weapons they see Sourcerers carry."

I hear the Red Prince sigh. I look up at him.

"Perhaps they can assist in small matters," the Red Prince said. "But if the situation requires we drop everything and run, I will not hesitate to leave these creatures behind."

"Fine," I say.

"You won't leave us behind, will you?" Sandy said.

I felt torn once again. In the shortest amount of time, I had befriended three children, who were without their parents and were of a completely different species. Now I felt I was their caretaker somehow. I guess it could make sense since I was of the age that I could reproduce and have my own brood with a suitable partner. But we were still trapped on this island, without a way to escape.

"No," I say. "I…I won't leave any of you behind. We're all going to escape. Together."

"Thank you Mahilia," Paulie said. "We won't let you down either."

"I appreciate that," I say. "Now let us be off."

"Finally," the Red Prince said rolling his eyes. I stand up and the three children follow suit in following the Prince toward the entrance to the fort.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Red Prince took the lead with me and the children close behind. He stopped at the top step and we did the same. Instead of two guards flanking the entrance gate like I'd have expected, there was a gathering of half-a-dozen Magisters in addition to the two guards flanking the gate. They formed a semicircle. At the center was a single lizard magister. From my studies, the Divine Order was accepting of all races in the beginning. But as time went on under Alexander's rule, it became more human centric, hence why the magisters on the ship were all human. There were still some non-human magisters, but they were few and far between.

"We know you've been helping Sourcerers escape, Atusa. We have proof," The person standing at the center of the magister line spoke. When I looked at him, the air in my body froze. It was Bishop Alexander himself.

His skin was the color of white. He wore the grand robes of the Bishop that was red laced with white, the color of Magisters. He held a grand staff in his hand and atop his head was a crown that signified his place as the head of the Divine Order.

Having heard about his deeds, it surprised me being in his presence. I was fearful to meet his acquaintance as I told Ifan on the boat. From the colors of his robes, the staff he held and the crown he bore, he should have had the appearance of majesty like his father Lucian. But seeing Alexander's young face and hearing his voice of a human not older than 24 gave me pause. Instead of intimidation, I could feel that this young human was putting on a persona.

When you're a diplomate, you needed to present yourself and your words in a very formal manor and set aside your true emotions. Not to the point of becoming a dull and lifeless automaton machine, but enough to stow away emotions that could be exploited like fear and anger. Here, I could see though Alexander's eyes he was concealing something through his words. Was it fear? Was it ego? Whatever it was, I could see it was affecting his presentation.

To top off his presence, he wore a Source Collar of his own. Considering he made the order to shackle the Sourcerers to stem their use of Source, at least he wasn't hypocritical in his belief in cutting off source to keep the Voidwoken away.

"I'd sooner cut my tongue out than lie to you, Alexander," the accused lizard magister pleaded. "I know nothing of any escapees."

A female human magister stepped forward. By the looks of her outfit and the composer she set, she was one of the higher-ranking Magisters. On her back was a large Hammer. Her white hair and wrinkles in her face told me she was in her late 50-year range, no older than the old Sourcerer who caused the chaos on the ship. But her age didn't make her any less intimating. Her eyes pierced into Atusa, causing her to freeze as if making it easier for her body to be shattered if the magister swung that hammer.

"If you can tell the Godwoken no more, your tongue is of no use," her words hit Atusa and even me as hard as the hammer on the Magister's back would have. "Cut it out!"

The lizard Atusa took a step back, dipping her head. The Magister's words had certainly broke something inside her as she replied.

"T-this can't be serious. Alexander! Come!" the fear in her was pouring out in droves.

"You should know by now to obey your superior, magister - whatever she may ask," Alexander replied. There was no sympathy or help coming for this unfortunate Magister. Atusa had no choice. Her hesitation slowed her hands as she reached down to her belt. She grasped a dagger and pulled it from its sheath. With her free hand, she pinched the tip of her forked tongue and pulled it clear of her mouth. She brought the dagger to the root of her tongue. I could see small drips of blood run down the edge of the dagger and drop to the ground.

"Look away. Look away, now!" I wrap my arms around the children and clumped them together, making sure all three of them had their faces averted. Atusa groaned from the cut in her tongue. She prepared to go through with it with several nervous breathes. But just as she inhaled deeply and motioned to prepare a quick and only slightly less painful mutilation, Alexander interrupted.

"Stop," He shouted. Atusa did as he told her. She retracted her niched tongue a brought her dagger-held hand to her side.

"My father, may his soul rest in peace, would be disappointed in you, Atusa. To think you would lie to his only son - your bishop and your friend these many years. The fate of our realm hangs in the balance. If you will not help us save it, then you will help the Void destroy it."

He sighed and looked to the ground to his right. Disappointment was all he had. He looked back up at the Hammer-welding Magister.

"Dallis," Alexander said.

"Yes, your Holiness?" Dallis replied.

"I believe we are done here," He turned away and proceeded back through the gates of the fort with a pair of Magister escorts flanking him. As he did, Dallis grasped the Hammer holstered on her back and brought it to bare. Atusa's eyes no longer held back any of the fear inside of her. She dropped her dagger and stumbled to the ground.

"No, no, please! PLEASE!" Atusa screamed. She cowered and raised her arms in a feeble attempt to defend herself. Dallis's hammer glowed green and she took her stance.

"Close your eyes now!" I averted the children's gaze again as well as my own. All that was left was our ears to hear the horrified scream of Atusa that was cut off with a mighty swing of the Hammer. What followed was the slimy sloshing of a mangled body that flopped onto the ground.

"What a waste," I heard the voice of Dallis say. "Come. We'll be needed elsewhere."

I peak out of my eye to see Dallis holster her surprisingly clean hammer onto her back. She retreated through the gates with her own escort of Magisters following her. Moments later, it was only me, the Red Prince, the three human children and a mangled corpse of a Lizard Magister in front of the gates of Fort Joy.

I look back at the children and I could see the uneasiness in their eyes.

"I'm so sorry you have to endure this," I say to them. "No child, regardless of species, should see anything like this."

"It's not your fault," Trice said. Her fear seemed to have evaporated or she managed to stow it away just for me.

"As long as you're here with us…" Sandy stepped in. "…we'll be brave for you."

"Yeah, no matter what!" Paulie chimed in last.

The children's enthusiasm was genuine. If they were going to be strong for me, I had to be strong for them. I take a deep breath.

"Alright," I say. "I'll be strong for you too."

The children nod and I nod back. I stand up and look at the Red Prince. As expected, he rolled his eyes and strode forward making us follow behind him. I looked over at the bloody remains of Atusa. Some part of me felt awful seeing one of my own kin slaughtered like that.

"I wouldn't feel too bad," the Red Prince said.

"She was one of our kin," I say back.

"She had forsaken the Empire for the Order. Her punishment was fair," he said.

He did have a point. But it still didn't make me feel any better seeing my kin dying right in front of me. So much death in such a short span of time. But through the bloodshed, one detail stood out to me. She was accused of helping Sourcerers escape. If it were true, perhaps…

We stepped through the gate to find ourselves in the courtyard of the fort. The walls were the color of white with wooden scaffoldings making paths to the decayed upper walls. All around there were Sourcerers of all species. Humans, dwarfs, elves and lizards all baring source collars of their own. All around there were magisters patrolling with several guard dogs accompanying them. But there also were several tents and huts spread out alongside the walls, with sourcerers either resting in them or setting up their own makeshift shops for trade and crafting.

And in the center of the courtyard up a small flight of stairs stood a brass statue. I looked closely at the face and recognized it was of Lucian himself. The chiseled face of the old but blessed man looked up at the heavens with a beard and hair that complimented the wisdom within him.

He held up his staff, the same one Alexander held moments ago, and bore a crown on his head and the wings on his back lifted him to make it seem he was hovering ever so slightly over the pedestal the statue was planted on. And in front of it was a very generous assortment of food and vases and a painting of Lucian himself completing the shrine of it. Whether it was made by zealot magisters or compliant sourcerers, I don't know.

Returning my attention to the fort, it was more open than I was expecting. Having prisoners out and about within walls that were crumbling and full of holes didn't feel ideal for a prison. But taking a glance at the main fort laying behind another gate guarded by nearly a dozen Magisters gave me the idea that the cells inside the main fort were full and the prisoners here were the overflow. Adding to the fact was that the fort was on an island with the nearest land several miles across stormy seas which acted as natural bars to the prison cell all of us were in. And from the from the tents and shops set up, it looked like the inmates were the ones to take care of themselves rather than the Magisters. Guess that gives the Magisters one less thing to keep track of while they focus on whatever is happening within the main fort itself.

"Splendid," the Red Prince said. "Now that we're here, we can-"

Before he could finish with "find the dreamer," a shout erupted to our left.

"Oie! You know what we're here for," a male human walked up to a short haired female elf, not the one from the ship. Standing behind him was his crony having his back. The thug's face grinned with a threatening sneer. "Why don't ya make it easy for everyone?"

The elf turned her head over to me since I was the only one within earshot.

"You!" The elf said to me. "Help me teach this beast! He must respect! If not, he comes for you next."

"Respect? Ha!" the thug chuckled. "Someone's got to keep this place runnin'. Griff can't do it for free. Why d'you gotta' make this so hard?"

"You have to help her, please!" Trice said to me. I look at her then I see the Red Prince cross his arms in the corner of my eyes.

"Are you really going to stop and meddle in every affair we come across?" The Red Prince said. "May I remind you we had a deal to help me find what I'm looking f-."

I turn my attention away from the Prince's complaints when I saw an intense looking man walk up and stand between the elf and the thug. He then rolled up his sleeves, showing off his well-muscled and heavily-scarred arms. The beard on his face made me recognize him immediately.

"Just stand aside, why don'tcha, mate," the thug said. "This is no business of yours."

"Lone Wolves decide their own business," Ifan fired back closing his fists. The thug froze before he shuffled back to the protection of his crony. A quick glance at each other and they whipped the fear from their faces and took a step forward.

"Pay up, elf," the thug said. "No-one shorts Griff, 'specially not one of you."

It was then that I saw both goons hid a dagger within their both their sleeves. It was going to be now or never. I sucked up the courage and put on a persona.

 _Okay. These two aren't civil so put on a display of power._

I step beside Ifan, who looks up at me with a brief glance of surprise before returning he stern look at the thugs, and I narrow my eyes at the two.

"Please don't make things worse," I say in a stern voice. I discreetly pull out my wand from my rag and display it so only the two trouble makers would see it. "I'm really… really not in the mood to make a mess right now."

I must have done something right as I saw the two of them look at each other then back at us, sizing up the threat.

"Ahh get out of here, the both of ye," the thug said trying to salvage his pride from the defeat. "Y'ain't worth the swear of my brow anyhow..."

He looked over at his crony and motioned him to follow him away. I stow the wand away looking to see if any of the patrolling magisters caught sight of it. Thankfully not. Ifan rolled down his sleeves and looked up at me, a grin amidst his beard complimenting the look of appreciation in his eyes.

"Good work there, good work. I can tell you've got chops."

"Well…I try," I say putting away my persona. "Anyway, I'm happy to see you're okay, Ifan."

"As am I for you," Ifan said. "You saved my life twice aboard the ship. I'd shudder to think how I'd be able to pay you back if you hadn't survived."

"Oh…well I-"

The children cheered and ran up to us.

"Wow, you two really showed them!" Sandy shouted with excitement. Ifan grinned and kneeled down to their level as I did.

"She sure did," Ifan said then looked over at me. "All I did was give her some encouragement."

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't sell yourself short."

"Thank you." The elf said behind us. When the both of us look at her, she bowed. "Follow me, before any more them show up. There's a safe place."

Looking at the children, I responded.

"We'd be happy to join you," I reply.

"Excuse me!" the Red Prince strode up and we all turned our heads toward him. "Are you purposefully trying to hinder my task at hand?"

I respond quickly.

"We just need to have a place for the children to be safe," I say. "And, you have my word there won't be any more delays."

The Red Prince looked at each of us, irritation burning in his ember eyes. He closes them and signs.

"Fine," he muttered. "So much for them being useful scouts like you said they'd be. We'll find a place to keep these brats from hindering our task."

"Thank you… 'milord'," I say. I shoot Ifan a quick grin to tell him the last part I said was to keep his ego at bay. He shoots a grin back at me before we both turn to the elf.

"Lead the way," I nod.

The elf bowed again and lead the way. All five of us followed. We walked across the courtyard, passed the main gate guarded by the magisters. As we did, Ifan walked beside me.

"I must say you've put on quite a show of determination back there with those thugs," he said. "Much different than what I saw of you when we first spoke."

"It's what I've learned living in the Ancient Empire," I said. "I'm expected put on a persona to persuade those I'm talking to. I really don't like to fight."

"Convincing folks not to fight is useful," Ifan said. "But considering you've managed to fend off Voidwoken long enough to save me and the passengers of the ship, I'd say you've got a knack to fight the battles when words fail."

"I haven't had to defend myself all my life until last night," I said. "Which is why I was hoping to find you and some others to help in escaping this place. I really can't do it alone."

"Well then, you're in luck, lass," Ifan said. "This wolf needs a pack if he's to survive. How's I join you and your little entourage. It'll be one of the ways to pay you back for saving my life."

"That would be excellent," I said.

"Alright then," Ifan said with a grin. "Once we've come up with a plan, I'll have your back."

We both look up to the elf leading us again. The walls of the fort lead to a sprawling opening of sand that lead to the sea. In the distance down the shore, I saw several figures standing amidst wreckages of ships littering the beachhead. Most likely more sourcerers stretching their legs from the congestion of the fort courtyard.

"Here," the elf motioned her hand toward a formation of rocks. Right at the base of it was the entrance to a cave. "It'll give you shelter from the sun and the attention of the magisters for a while."

The Elf crouched down and passed though the hole. I motioned the children forward. They walk single file and follow the elf through the hole. Ifan followed then the Red Prince leaving me to be the last to enter.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This took a little longer than expected. College has been going on and I've found it tricky to choose a path in escaping Fort Joy to make it sound believable from a non-gamey point of view. But regardless I've got this up and Chapter 6 won't be far behind now.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The inside of the cave was vast and cool. The open chamber was inclined down to a small camp set up in the middle. All around were several sourcerers, most of them were elves but there was a lone lizard standing near the entrance.

"Ah…" the lizard bowed and looked directly at the Red Prince. "Sir Kalias at your service, Red Prince. I hadn't expected you of all people to end up here."

"The Divine Order will pay for their crimes against the Empire," the Red Prince replied. "Once I have accomplished my task here, I will return to the Empire and set things right. Though I don't suppose you can aid in our endeavors?"

Kalias looked back at a corner of the cave where several boxes and barrels were stowed.

"I can provide some suitable armor," Kalias said. "It's not the tier of master craftsmen, but it is discreate enough for the magisters to not notice and far better than the rags you wear. I have some for you and your companions."

He looked over at Ifan and me. "Of course. An army is only half as effective without at least some protection. May we see?"

Kalias turned around and beckoned us to follow. The Red Prince did so. Ifan looked over at me. I, in response, looked back at the children and the elf.

"I'll be there in a moment," I tell Ifan. He nodded understandingly. As he followed the Red Prince to the stash, I followed the elf down to the open center of the cave with the children.

"Will the children be safe here?" I ask the elf.

"It's the safest of anywhere we know of," the elf said. "As long as they stay in this room, they won't encounter any trouble."

"Alright," I kneel to the children. "I want you to stay here until we figure something out. We'll come for you once we have a plan to escape."

"Okay," Trice said. The other two nod. I could see in their eyes they believed me. I just hoped I was able to follow through with my promise I made. I stand up and return my gaze to the elf.

"If you are looking for a way out of here," the elf said, "You should speak to Saheila."

"Is Saheila your leader?" I ask. The elf nodded.

"She is young, but she sees. She knows more than we know," she reached out with her hand to guide my gaze to the campfire. There, laying on a wooden bench, was another elf. She seemed to be resting.

"Thank you," I say to the elf. "For looking after the children while I search for a way out of here."

"It's the least I could do," the elf bows again. With that, she gestured the children to follow her. They did so and they walked over to another corner of the cave where several crates lay. The elf reached in and pulled out a doll. Trice gasped and reached out to take it. The elf then pulled out two wooden toy swords for Paulie and Sandy. They took them and wasted no time taking their stances and playfully swung at one another.

I turned over to the campfire. As I approached the resting elf, she sat up and turned toward me. She was a very young elf. Her face showed beauty like a delicate flower. What made it a tragic beauty was that her eyes were covered up with a bandage. She was blind. She smiled at me. It's as if she recognized me even when we had never met before.

"Ah. Hello," Saheila said. Her voice sounded that of a gentle flatter, like that of a butterfly.

"I see you come a long way. Far… far from your home? Far from your Empire of the desert?"

I hesitate for a moment. "How…do you know this?"

"I see it. Before my eyes," she says. She gracefully gestured her hand over the side of the bench next to her. "Please, sit with me for a moment."

What she said gave me a sense of calm and safety. Like that of a child being cared for by a mother. Slowly, I walked over to the bench. I lift my tail over and sit down next to her. She turned her head towards me, but not facing where my eyes were. She lifted her hand and slowly reached out toward my own hand. Her graceful movements conveyed she meant no harm. I relaxed and allowed her to touch my hand. Once she held my scaly hand, she turned her head away, as if to stare of into the distance with her missing eyes.

"You…" she spoke absently at first. "You fear. Fear for yourself… for your family. But you fear the most for the souls you have bound yourself to here."

I look over to the children playing in the distance. I was fearful for my family and for Brell. But Saheila was right. At this moment, I was more concerned about those three children. How was it that I suddenly felt like a caretaker for those children, of a different species no less, that I had just met? Was it my motherly instinct kicking in since I was engaged to Brell and able to have children of my own?

"I…" I stumbled on what I wanted to say next, so I decided to change the subject. "I was told you may know of a way out of this dreadful place."

Her eyebrows shot up.

"There can be a way," she said. "Amyro knows! But he is gone. "

"Amyro," I repeat his name. "Who is he?"

"My protector. My friend. An elf like me, with a spirit bright as new leaves. He tries to help me, to save, and he suffers very much. He is caught by those who hurt him. I wish so much for his return. And he tells you what you seek. A way out."

What she was saying didn't lead to good foresight. 'Captured by those who hurt him.' That could only mean one thing in this camp. Griff. That was going to complicate things especially fending off his goons mere moments earlier. But considering my desperation and my instincts wanting to get those three children out of here, it was the only plan I had for now.

"I'll help him," I say.

"You bring me great peace. Thank you, my friend, I miss him very much," Saheila replied.

I lift myself from the bench. I sigh before I stride my way up the cave floor.

"Wait," Saheila spoke. I stop and turn back to here. "I see something that helps."

"What is it?" I ask.

"I see a lizard," she replied. "He is a lizard. He is a lizard of many dreams, of far-feeling. You do not free Amyro without him."

My eyes widen from the realization. It turns out the Red Prince's journey was intertwined with the bigger picture more than I though.

"That helps immensely, thank you," I say.

"You may find him near the beachside. I pray you succeed in your endeavors," Saheila then laid back down on the bench.

I turned and made my way up to the corner of the cave where Ifan and the Red Prince stood. They had changed their attire significantly. Instead of the rages they came in with, they both wore leather armor with a tunic over them, each fitting their species' profile. They also each held a dagger in their hands, probably something Kalias gave them to defend themselves without drawing too much attention. They turned their attention to me.

"Well, you most certainly took your time," the Red Prince said.

"I'd reckon there was a good reason for it. Is that right?" Ifan asked.

"Indeed, there is," I grin. "Turns out there's someone here who knows of a way out."

Their attention sharply increased on me.

"Well, let's hear it then," Ifan said.

"Unfortunately, this person is an elf… and he's been captured by Griff,"

As expected, there was a moment of silence before the Red Prince asked, "The crime lord that runs the place?"

I nod. He rolled his eyes.

"Well that makes your intervention more of a burden doesn't it? Maybe I should have found somebody else to aid me in-."

"And it turns out the dreamer you were looking for is somehow the key to freeing the elf."

The Red Prince froze. He stared at me before I continued.

"So, the way I see it, we find the dreamer, let you settle whatever you need with him then we'll ask him what he can do to help us free the elf Amyro."

"I see no problems with that," Ifan said. He turned to the Red Prince and gave a grin that obviously felt mocking. "How about you, 'your highness?'"

The Red Prince sighed and looked back at me. "I suppose that can work. But if we are to accomplish this task you should dawn much more suitable attire."

I look down at my rags, then at the crates of clothing. Kalias nodded his head and started digging through the crates.

"I won't be long this time," I say.

The Red Prince snorts with doubt. "I'll be surprised if that turns out to be true." And he walked off toward the cave entrance. Ifan gave me a reassuring nod, showing he was at least more patient and understanding. He walked toward the cave entrance too.

"From what I've been told, you reside from the House of Law, correct?" Kalias asked.

"Yes," I say.

He continued to dig through the crates.

"Normally I'd have my doubts about those in the House of Law. But hearing about your bravery to rescue the Red Prince and the remaining passengers aboard the ship from the Voidwoken, I'd say you may have at least some instinct to survive in the heat of battle."

It was common for soldiers from the House of War to have a stigma towards the House of Law since we acted as a counterweight. But I did apricate at least that he acknowledged my bravery in the situation.

Kalias pulled out a sizable female lizard tunic and handed it to me.

"Thank you," I say taking it. I retreat to a darker corner of the cave behind a boulder. I untie the seems and shed the rags from my skin. But before I continue to the second part, I take a moment to feel the cold air in the cave on my bare scaly body. The only thing that intruded on this feeling was of course the collar still attached to my neck. But I shove the worries I had for the collar aside.

 _Later._ _First thing's first._

I take the pants and slip my slender legs trough, tying the straps tight securing it to my waist. I then fold my frill in and snake my head through the tunic, careful not to upset the collar on my neck. I unfolded my frill and weaved my arms through the sleeves. I looked down at the tunic. They weren't like the usual wizard robs I wore when I trained with my magic, but this was defiantly better than the rags I was thrown into. I hid away my wand within the tunic. I emerged from behind the bolder and discarded the rags with Kalias. He nodded as I proceeded to the cave entrance. The Red Prince and Ifan turned their attention to me.

"Well," the Red Prince said. "You've actually arrived in a reasonable amount of time. I must say I'm actually happy to be wrong in my expectations."

I roll my eyes. "Alright, Saheila told me the dreamer is somewhere down the beach near here. Hopefully he isn't far."

And sure enough, he wasn't. We emerged from the cave and walked down to the beach to find a camp set up behind the wreaks of two boats in the shade of an alcove of trees and rocks. From where we stood, we could see the outline of lizard resting on a bedroll next to the campfire.

"Splendid," the Red Prince said. "If you wouldn't mind, I believe I should commence my business with the Dreamer first."

"Fair enough," I say. He had been waiting for this while we've delayed him several times.

But before the Red Prince could walk down the camp, a voice shouted from our right. We turned to see a suspicious human man walking down the beach. The jagged smile on his face and the exasperated giggling noises told us his head wasn't properly in place.

"You're him ain't ya'?" he was looking right at the Red Prince. "They say you'r red."

His jagged smile got even more crooked as he drew his knife.

"Red, and dead!" he lunged forward. I jumped clear while the Red Prince and Ifan took the assassin head own on. When I reared my head, I saw the Red Prince pushing the assassin back. Ifan then leapt forward on the assassin's flank and brought his knife down. The assassin tried to evade but not quick enough as Ifan's knife came down and embedded itself into the assassin's bicep. He screamed in pain. He pushed Ifan away, withdrawing the knife from his arm, leaving him open to attack. I hastily rear my wand back and I swing it forward to have a small orb of lightning launch from it.

The problem was the Red Prince had the same idea. He lunged forward, right in front of the path of the lighting. I gasped in shock as it hit the Red Prince square in the back causing him to fall onto his belly. The assassin saw his chance and lunged forward with his knife in the hand attached to his unwounded arm. I clumsily tried to ready another attack from my wand. But thankfully I didn't have to launch it when I saw the assassin stop in his tracks when Ifan's knife appeared in the side of his throat.

The life inside the assassin disappeared when his last breath escaped his mouth. Ifan pulled the blood-soaked knife from the assassin's throat leaving the body to slump to the ground dead. Ifan stowed his knife within his tunic and kneeled to the Red Prince. But the Red Prince slapped away Ifan's hand and lifted himself up. There was a singed hole in his tunic where my spell hit him. When he turned around, his eyes burned with a greater intensity than the hole on his back. He strode toward me.

"A-a-are you-" I stuttered but he was merely inches away from me before I could ask if he was alright.

"What the hell was that?!" the Red Prince scolded at me. His eyes burning into mine. "Were you deliberately trying to make an attempt on my life?!"

"I-I-I'm sorry," the burst of shock was still coursing through my body. "I s-saw an opportunity and t-thought I c-could-"

"Well you obviously thought wrong! That was an opportunity for me to take and you should have seen th-"

"Hey, hey! Settle down!" Ifan jumped in and stood in front of the Red Prince.

"Are you seriously going to take this clumsy spellcaster's side. It was her fault for-"

"It's both of your faults!" He shot an angry look into the Red Prince's eyes then looked back at me for a second. "And that's because we've failed to establish a strategy within this party. Perhaps now is the time to make one so we don't make this mistake again."

The anger in the Red Prince's eyes burned red but the fire died out after a few seconds of breathing. I dipped my head and closed my eyes. I clearly displayed my shame. I had nothing to prove from this.

"Now," Ifan said. "Mahilia, it's obvious you are a wizard. You had the right idea in getting out of the way since you're best when you're fighting from a distance. However, you're going to have to observe the battlefield better and learn to communicate with those who are in the thick of the fight. When a frontline soldier is interlocked with an opponent, it's best to let them handle it. You should single out those who are in the open to cover the frontline soldier. You think you can do that?"

I take a deep breath and let the shock go from my body. I then remembered the moment on the ship where I landed a fireball on the voidwoken that was going to attack the Red Prince.

"Yes," I answer. He nodded with a small grin. Then he turned to the Red Prince.

"And you," the Ifan said. "What is your preferred method of combat?"

"As a general of the House of War, it was a custom to train in the arts of the sword and the shield."

"Then you'll be the frontline soldier I talked about," Ifan said. "Once we get you the proper weapons and protection, you'll keep those frontline soldiers at bay while our spellcaster here can cover you from afar."

There was a silence between the two men before the Red Prince responded not with an acknowledgement, but a question.

"Then what about you? He asked Ifan. "What is your combat specialty."

"A wayfarer," Ifan said. "With a crossbow, I'll be able to drop targets from afar and cover you as much the spellcaster will. But for the moment a knife will have to do with the Magisters having us at a disadvantage."

"So, while you two hold back and throw your arrows and fireballs, I'll have to do all the hard work and get messy in the process?" the Red Prince asked.

"Based on your combat description, yes," Ifan said.

The Red Prince looked between me and Ifan a couple of times before signing, "Oh, very well."

Both Ifan and I knew he was only agreeing to do it begrudgingly since he had never had to fight in a team before like I had. That and he seemed to have some future regrets having to get himself messy with blood and grim. Perhaps he was regretting training to be a strong fighter since all the wars he fought were directed from the comfort of his palace.

"So, is everyone in agreement? We know who does what the next time someone decides to attack us?" Ifan looks at me first.

"I do," I say.

He looked over at the Red Prince.

"Yes," he said.

"Good," Ifan said. "Now, while I dispose of the body, I suggest you conduct your business with this dreamer you've been seeking so we can get him to help free the elf afterwards."

"Gladly," the Red Prince turned and proceeded down to the alcove. Ifan took a hold of the body and hosted it on his shoulder. He looked over at me and winked. I watched him carry the body down the shore toward one of the nearest shipwrecks.

I turned and eyed the Red Prince. With Ifan covering the body, I walked after the Red Prince.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Told you it wouldn't be long. Hopefully I can keep the momentum up and get the next chapter done very soon. Thanks again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I couldn't help but smell the scent of fresh citrus in the air when in the encampment. Oranges weren't a native fruit from our lands, but it was a common import from the traders who visited the Empire. In fact, Brell was on the verge of securing a citrus plantation off the nearby coasts for his family business a few days prior to my departure.

Amongst the scent, the blue male lizard lay on a bedroll. We heard him ramble on in the ancient tongue of our people. From what I could hear, it seemed he was pursuing something in his dreams. The process Dreamers take is that of a journey that needed to be pursued if the visions of the future are to be deciphered and made clear.

The Red Prince walked up and stomped his talon onto the ground beside the Dreamer's head. With a start, the Dreamer's eyes shot open. He coughed and brought his head up.

"Am…Am I awake?" He said, absent of our presence. "I think I need a pinch or…"

He turned his head to see the Prince's talons. He then looked up straight up into his eyes. He immediately stood up, still disoriented from his sudden awakening.

"They said you'd be red, but I didn't think so, so very red."

"I am indeed the Red Prince and I am in need of your services. It is of the utmost importance."

"Oh…oh yes. Of course you have, prince of princes, yes. Indubitably. I, Stingtail, will be happy to aid you."

Having met with several Dreamers in the Empire, this was a common behavior for those whose minds traversed spiritual lands frequently. Some even traversed them so much and to the darkest corners that they became mad or even died.

"Please, come. Lay here," Stingtail motioned to the bedroll adjacent to his own. "We can begin when you are ready."

The Red Prince looked over at me.

"Now, I know you have to work on your combat capabilities, but I trust you to please guard me while I initiate the ritual," the Red Prince said.

"Well since you said please…" I said.

But he ignored it and already moved to the bedroll. Stingtail reached into a nearby crate and pulled out an orange laced with drudanae leaves. He put the orange in his mouth and gulped it down greedily. The leaves were used to help dreamers relax their minds to fall asleep and make their traversal easier. Stingtail fell into a trance-like state and slowly lowered his head onto the bedroll. The Red Prince lowered his head and moments later he had fallen asleep too.

I sat on a nearby rock and waited for a few minutes until I saw Ifan return. But before he could come to the alcove, a wondering female human sourcerer walked passed Ifan. When she looked at him, she froze. She started to hyperventilate.

"Ben...ben-Mezd. Ifan ben-Mezd! You killed them. YOU KILLED THEM! HE KILLED THEM ALL! MURDERER!"

I hopped off my rock and walked out of the alcove over to Ifan. He stared at the hysterical woman.

"No need to fret," Ifan said. "You don't have a contract on you."

"Keep him away from me! Help, somebody! KEEP HIM AWAY!"

The women turned and ran down the beach, tripping several times while screaming. Both Ifan and I just stood there watching the woman disappear around the bend.

"Aren't you worried that she'll rat on us?" I asked.

"Not really," Ifan said. A hysterical sourcerer running around spouting nonsense. I probably wouldn't buy it either if I were a guard keeping prisoners inside a prison. But it did get me to think about something. I looked down at Ifan who, in turn, looked up at me.

"I don't suppose that showcase is in regard to your handiwork with these 'Lone Wolves' I've been hearing about?"

He shrugged and looked away for a moment.

"May I ask what they are?" I asked.

He pondered something before looking back at me.

"Well, since we've officially banded together, I should come clean to make sure I can be trusted I suppose?"

I nod.

"The Lone Wolves are mercenaries. We are offered contracts and we fulfill them."

He reached into the pocket of his leather armor and produced a piece of paper. He handed it to me. I opened the paper and it read:

 **Ben-mezd,**

 **Your target is none other than Divine Bishop Alexander, leader of the Divine Order. Get close and show our benefactor why the Silver Claw is the most feared amongst all the Lone Wolves.**

 **For some aid with your mission, seek Magister Borris in the Ghetto. Speak our motto 'Giechou dumar' to identify yourself.**

 **May the moon light your tracks,**

 **Roost Anlon**

For a moment, I didn't move. My eyes were locked on the name of the target. But after a while, I move my eyes from the paper back to Ifan. He gave me a look that told me, "What do you think?"

" _Wonder if we'll get to meet the ringmaster himself…_ " I quote Ifan's words the night prior. He chuckled.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you're having second thoughts teaming up with me seeing as you don't like fighting."

I felt even more scared for myself. How would it be possible to get out, find the equipment necessary and get close enough to take down the head of the Divine Order? But then again…

"Considering my options right now, I'll take a Lone Wolf as my ticket out of here than having no ticket at all. But I won't lie in saying I don't feel wary about undertaking an almost suicidal task."

"I won't force you to aid me in doing what I need to do," Ifan said. "I understand if all you want to do is go home. Especially when you still have one to go back to."

He looked down. His eyes showed he tried to suppress a bad memory. There was a silence between the two of us for a minute.

"So…" I steered the conversation away from the depressing note Ifan landed on. "Did you intentionally get yourself caught to get to Alexander?"

Ifan's sour mood faded away when he chuckled. "No, no… it's-it's actually a funny story. I'll tell you about it some time."

I couldn't help but grin. "I'd actually like that."

"Anyway," Ifan redirected. "I just wanted to let you know what I need to do. The first step is to find Magister Borris. He'll be posted back in the Getto where we met."

"And what exactly are you hoping to get out of this bribable Magister?"

"The location of the drop off point for my gear. Once we get out of the Fort, we'll make a stop there and I'll ready up to do what I need to do. Regardless if you want to join me or not, I'll help you find a way off this rock and you'll be able to find your way home."

"Sound's more than reasonable," I say. "Though I don't think it's wise to leave the Red Prince unguarded in the meantime. Not after the likes of that crooked assassin."

"Agreed," Ifan said. "You stay here and guard Prince charming and I won't be long in getting what I need."

He winked and made his way back to the Fort Ghetto. That left me alone on the beach in front of the path to the alcove where the Red Prince dreamed. At least, that was what I thought until I turned around to the path to the alcove.

Crouched down and peeping over the top of a protruding anchor in the sand was an elf. But not just any other elf I've seen throughout Fort Joy, but the very one who was on the ship the night before. Her eyes were looking straight at the pair of lizards in the alcove camp.

Instead of feeling a sense of danger like I should have, guarding royalty after all, I felt a sense of relief because I was hoping to find her. With her movements I saw aboard the ship, she no doubt would be valuable as a crafty rouge to sneak into tight places and unlock doors that hinder our way.

I approached her a little too quietly.

"I beg your par-"

Before I could finish my greeting, I was swept off my feet and found myself on my back with a hand around the crux of my neck. But there was also the indentation of a sharp needle protruding against my windpipe. The elf had floored me and was crouched down over my body, her knees pinning my arms down.

"You caught me off guard," she said. Her yellow eyes pierced through my eyes, like two daggers cutting into my mind. "No one catches me off guard. Better tell me who you really are, or this time I'll let my needle do the licking."

No amount of speech training could prepare me for this. The combination of the needle and the hand constricting my throat caused me to gag.

"P-please," I gasp with the needle protruding on my gracillin neck. "I'm just a young lizard who's far from home. I just wanted to ask you to help us in escaping this place."

"You need me?" the elf asked. "More like you want to use me."

She leaned in closer, her eyes cutting deeper into me.

"Well let me tell you something. I don't feel like being used, especially by lizards."

It was then she motioned her eyes to her cheek. My eyes followed hers and it was then I saw what she wanted me to see. The realization explained nearly everything. It was a scar of a slave. A common method for lizards in the House of War to control their slaves.

"Now you know why I don't trust you?" she asked bluntly.

"My...my family never owned any slaves!" I blurted. "I never did anything of the sort. We don't use the scar in the House of Law."

"A likely story," her voice filled with obvious doubt. "But even if you are genuine, you could warn my target, save him, or kill him before I get my chance. That makes you a liability. That makes you needle feed."

"No p-please," I couldn't put a persona on. My mind raced to try to find an excuse. "I-I saved your life aboard the ship. A life for a life?"

She looked down at me for several moments, as if contemplating how she would kill me.

"A fair point," she said. But she wasn't finished. "However, I can't take any chances."

She withdrew the needle and brought her fist to the side of my head.

* * *

"Hey, hey, come back to me, lass."

My conciseness faded back to me.

"That's it. Nice and easy," the voice faded in. I recognized it was Ifan. I felt his hand on the back of my neck as he gently propped me up from the ground.

My eyes focused themselves. To my right, Ifan was crouched to my level.

"You had me worried there," Ifan asked. "Do you remember what happened?"

I looked to my other side to find the feet of a red scaled lizard. The Red Prince was here with me. Then the realization and the memories came back to me like a slap to my face.

"S-Stingtail," I murmured. Ifan's face sparked. He looked up at the Red Prince then they both turned their heads to the alcove. The Red Prince took off immediately while Ifan stayed behind to get me to my feet. My mind returned to me just enough to motion Ifan to get going. He took off while I put my body into motion and reestablished my body's balance in the process. I made it to the alcove where Ifan and the Red Prince stood side by side. I came up between them to find Stingtail laying on his back with the elf locking him in a strangle hold. Her arm wrapped around his neck while her other hand dug the needle into his shoulder. She must have slipped past and hid herself until the Red Prince was finished. When the Red Prince had left him, she had pounced on Stingtail.

"P-please, help me," Stingtail murmured in fear. "This elf is insane."

The elf drove the needle deeper into his shoulder and his scream accompanied it.

"Don't come any closer or I'll have to do more damage to him than necessary."

"Please don't," I step forward. "We need his help."

"He can help you once he answers my question," the elf said. She shifted her eyes back to Stingtail. He spoke into his ear. "I'm going to ask you this one last time. Where. Is. The. Master?!"

"I told you, I don't kno-"

The following scream finished his sentence when the elf took the needle out of his shoulder and thrust it into the muscle of the side of his neck.

"No! Stop, stop! The wolves! The Lone Wolves! They may know about the Master!"

The mention of the Lone Wolves immediately made me turn to Ifan. The Red Prince did the same. He gave us a look that said, "This is the first time I've heard anything about this," as I suspected. I looked back at Stingtail.

"The Master," Stingtail continued, the pain inflicted on him exhausting his voice. "He's been using the Lone Wolf mercenaries ever since your escape. You vanished, so he needed others to do his bidding. They may know where he is!"

"Alright," the elf replied, showing a small bit of satisfaction in getting her information. "Where can I find a Lone Wolf?"

"There's already one here," I speak out and present Ifan to her. He took a step forward. The elf withdrew the needle and let go of Stingtail. The lizard flopped onto the ground panting and squeezing the puncture wounds on his shoulder and neck. The elf stood and strode toward Ifan. The Red Prince drew his dagger and I reached for my wand but Ifan just lifted his hands in front of him to show he didn't want to fight. She stopped in front of us leering at Ifan.

"Take it easy, lass," Ifan said. "This is news to me, too."

"You're telling me you don't know anything to help me?" she asked.

"I don't," Ifan said. "But I believe my partner, Roost, may know."

His response must have sparked her interest as her leer disappeared.

"And where may I find this Roost?"

"Hard to say. Lone Wolves are always on the move. But we have a network of messengers to give information on the next target or where we move out area of operations. Perhaps after I fulfill my contract and escape this island, I can help you find the Wolves to get to where you need to go."

"Well," she looked over at me. "It looks like I'm going to be part of your party after all, scale skin."

At that moment, I felt both relieved but also scared. It was true we needed a rouge to help us escape but it was an elf who had skills with knives and was enslaved by lizards. I was starting to have regrets about my choice. And, to no surprise, the Red Prince shared my doubtful side that was starting to win me over.

"You can't be serious?" the Red Prince said. "This demon elf assaulted a fellow Dreamer."

"He had it coming," she sneered at the Red Prince. "He was the one who weaved this scar into my skin."

"I told you, I was forced to do it," Stingtail struggled to speak over the pain that still throbbed in his body. "I never had a wish to…to blemish you; enslave you! I would undo it if I could! Oh, I surely would, I surely would, but I cannot! Only the Master. Only the master can!"

"Hold on," the Red Prince locked his gaze onto Stingtail. He strode forward, ignoring the presence of the elf who maimed Stingtail earlier. He kneeled and grabbed Stingtail by the throat. "You know more than you have shown me, don't you?"

"Dear R-Red Prince," Stingtail begged through his constricted throat. "The Dreamers are on your side in your quest for the throne. I-I was only forced to serve the House of Shadows for that one task. But I swear to you, I have cut all connections to him. Please, believe me!"

The Red Prince's eyes burned into Stingtail's eyes. But eventually he let him go, flopping to the ground again, gasping for air and exhausted with pain. But while he did this, my mind began to race from what Stingtail had said.

"Did he say the House of Shadows?" I asked the Red Prince. He stood up and looked over at me.

"Indeed, he did. It's the House of Shadows that is sending these assassins to take me out and hiring the human's mercenary friends to do their dirty work."

"Who or what is the House of Shadows?" Ifan asked me.

"I thought it was only a myth," I explained from what little I knew. "It's said to be an organization that pulls the strings of the Empire's Houses from the shadows. But it turns out it might be real after all."

"Which is important that I find what I'm looking for so we can combat the House of Shadows and save my Empire," the Red Prince tightened his fist.

"And, what exactly are you looking for?" Ifan asked the Prince.

"For now, Stingtail here has shown me the possible location of another, more experienced Dreamer. She too is believed to be here on the island but in the marshlands outside the fort."

"Well that's another thing to put on our to-do list, isn't it?" Ifan said.

"Indeed yes," I said. I felt overwhelmed by this new revelation. In addition to all the tasks I we were embroiled in, I also felt very uneasy knowing about how a mythical fourth faction in the empire was real and, if the stories were true, could be a threat to the entire Empire itself. But I focused my mind to the most pressing issue of the bunch that needed to addressed first.

"Regardless of these revelations, it won't mean anything unless we find a way out of this fort."

I look over at Stingtail and make my way forward to him. When I approached, Stingtail tried to sit up, trying to escape no doubt but failing with the pain in his shoulder weighing him down.

"It's okay," I kneel to him. I gently put my hand on his unhurt shoulder, doing my best to calm him. I look into his eyes, putting on a person to project that I wanted to help him. And it worked. He turned his body to sit up. I looked at his injured shoulder. I raise my other hand and slowly bring over his wounds. I close my eyes and recite the spell. I gently say the words and I feel the energy build in my core. It then flowed through my arm and radiated out of the palm of my hand. I opened my eyes to see my hand glow with energy and flow onto Stingtail's wounds. The gashes in his skin closed, the exfiltrated blood still staining the outside. Stingtail then gasped but then sighed in relief as the pain subsided.

"Thank you, kin," Stingtail said. "You're very kind."

"It comes from being born to the House of Law. We want as little bloodshed as possible."

I sit down next to him. I put my arms onto his shoulders and cradle him. I let my persona talk. "I was told you could help us in freeing a captive elf here."

Stingtail looked at me.

"The elf is a captive to Griff because of the stash of citrus I took from him."

"You stole from Griff?" I say not in an accusing way but in a way to say I wanted to understand to come to a solution.

"It was a way to keep my drudanae leaves safe. I needed them so I would be able to dream. The elf is believed to be the culprit."

A part of me wanted to scold this man for scapegoating an innocent being. But at the same time, I sympathized with him and couldn't lash out in anger against a man who was forced to commit an evil act against someone. I continued the conversation with my persona that leaned on the latter half of my feelings on him.

"Well, we will need to return the oranges if we're to free the elf."

"Yes," Stingtail replied, emotionally exhausted. "Go ahead and take them. But please…please promise me you won't tell the Cook that I took them. I didn't want this to happen, I only wanted to dream to escape this horrid reality."

"It's okay," I say calmly. "I won't say you stole them. I promise you that."

"Thank you, kin," Stingtail said. "I wish you well in your journey to escape."

I release my arms from him and stand up. He lays down again, not to dream but to truly rest to recover from the torment inflicted on him. I walk over to the crate of oranges. I take a hold and pick it up. It was a little heavier than I expected but I found my footing and started to walk toward the three others who were waiting for me. But halfway there, I felt a pair of hands grab a hold of the other side of the crate easing the weight on my arms.

"It's okay, lass, I can take this," Ifan said. I heed his words, letting my side go letting him take the whole crate. I look over at the Red Prince and Ifan listened in.

"Alright, we're off to the kitchen. Once there we'll present this to Griff, free the elf and he'll tell us of a way out."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" the Red Prince looked over at the elf licking the blood off her needle.

"So, are you serious in wanting to join us?" I asked the elf.

"I've survived being on my own several times over. However, since your human friend is a Lone Wolf, he's the only lead I have in finding the master. So, I'll be willing to put aside my… distrust of scale skins long enough to get where I need to go."

I looked over at Ifan. He only smiled and shot his eyebrows up.

"Well I…" I struggled to find a reasonable response. "Appreciate you helping us. I hope we can work together."

The elf blinked. She didn't seem very enthusiastic about the last part I said.

"Before we go any further," I say. "May I ask your name?"

"Sebille," she said.

"My name is Mahilia," I gestured over at the other two in the group. "This is Ifan and this here is the Red Prince."

Ifan nodded his head while the Red Prince only scoffed at Sebille. She shot him a sly smile before walking over to Ifan and they both walked out of the alcove. Before I followed them, the Red Prince gave me a look that said, "What are you thinking?"

"Look at it this way," I say to him. "She's looking for the same person you are. Perhaps it could turn out for the best."

The Red Prince rolled his eyes and strode off after the others. I stood there for moment to contemplate what had just happened. The elf, Sebille, nearly killing me, the revelation of the House of Shadows, the Lone Wolves' involvement with them and on top of all of that, we now had a full party of a human mercenary wayfarer, a deadly rouge elf, a strong royal lizard fighter and a novice spellcaster who just wanted to get home to their family and their betrothed. But it looked like going home was the least of my worries now.

I took a breath. One thing at a time. First thing, free the elf and have him show us the way out. I looked back at Stingtail one last time, then I followed the party up the beach to the kitchen.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Phew. After three revisions, I finally get the encounter for Sebille right. Tell me what you think.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The four of us approached a decayed archway.

"Hol' on, there," a thug guarding the archway stopped us. "What'cha business 'ere?"

I take a breath, put on my persona and step in front of the group.

"We have a special delivery for Griff," I say. I look back to Ifan carrying the crate of oranges. "We heard he's lost something, and we've found it for him."

The thug looked at the crate. He showed a flash of surprise in his face then returned it to its normal brooding position.

"Go righ' in," the thug stepped out of the way.

The four of us stepped through. The kitchen was in a stone decayed room with several scaffoldings and wooden platforms propped up. There was a cooking pot over a firepit, an ale barrel, several crates and barrels of food and a food prep table manned by a single human male. Everything else resembled a bandit's lair, complete with thugs lining up the walls and cages to keep troublemakers in check. In one of them was a male elf. Amyro I assumed. I could see he was weak with his body bent over and his hands grabbing onto the bars to support himself.

The man at the prep table was peeling a potato with a knife. When we walked in, he lifted his head and put the potato down while keeping the knife in his hand. He had a muscular face with small strands of long blond hair. His eyes were narrow making him look angry no matter what emotion he would display.

"What ya' want?" Griff said in a grumpy and irritated voice. I wouldn't be deterred by it. I let the character of my persona take control.

"That elf in that cage," I looked over at the Amryo then back at Griff. "I'd like you to let him go."

Griff raised his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, but he's the prime suspect in the disappearance of my shipment of oranges. Got to teach them troublemakers manors around here!"

I was about to show him the crate Ifan carried, but before I did, Griff raised a hand.

"Hold on," he said staring directly at me. "You're that scale skin who gave my boys trouble, ain't ya?"

I should have known it would have come to this. I did my best to maneuver the conversation into my favor.

"That is why I want to make amends," I say. "I have your missing oranges here."

I motion my arm to present the crate Ifan carried. He gave the crate a small shake while briefly shooting a small grin in the corner of his mouth. I could tell Ifan didn't like this guy either.

Griff's eyes widened slightly.

"Bring it here," He pointed his none-knife wielding hand to the ground beside him. Ifan did so and dropped them off. Griff put the knife down on the cutting board and grabbed one of the oranges out of the crate. He tore into it with both hands, the juice squirting through his fingers. He grinned as he put the squeezed orange aside.

"Looks like everything's accounted for," Griff looked directly at me. "That'll amend your little interference with my boys earlier. However, you're going to have to do one last thing if you want your elf boyfriend back."

I didn't like where this was going.

"And that is?" I asked.

"Tell me who actually stole it. Unless you know who actually did it, the elf is guilty and giving back what is mine won't cut it."

 _Damn it!_ This was the very predicament I wanted to avoid. I made a promise to Stingtail and I just couldn't break it. If Griff figured out Stingtail was the thief, he would surely be disemboweled in front of the entire camp to be made an example of.

"So, tell me. Who was the one who stole from me?"

I was backed into the corner. I could feel the cracks in my persona starting to show. I had to say something. Perhaps I could say we found it by accident. No, that's stretching it. Perhaps I could say it was the assassin who tried to kill us. It wasn't a great option, but it seemed to be the best one that wouldn't send Stingtail to his death.

"It-"

"It was Stingtail," Sebille cut me off. All three of us shot our eyes to her. The fear and realization surged through me and nearly broke my persona. I panicked for a second, but I manage to put my persona back on before anyone noticed.

"That deranged scale skin always blabbering about my shipments?" Griff asked. He too was surprised.

"The very same," Sebille said with an almost devilish smile. She pointed toward the archway we came through with her thumb. "You'll find him in his little hidy hole down on the beach."

Griff looked over at me with a grin on his angry face.

"Well then," Griff said. "I'm happy we've been able to help each other out."

He walked down from the prep station to the cage. He pulled a key from his pocket and put it into the lock.

"You're lucky this time, elf," I heard Griff say to Amryo. "If I catch you or any of your kind stealing from me again, there'll be serious consequences, you hear?!"

Amryo just looked at him with his weakened eyes and pale face. Griff popped the lock off and turned back to us.

"All yours. He should be fine. Eventually," he said. Before he picked up right where he left off with the potato, he motioned a group of his minions and they went out the archway. All I could do was watch and imagine what would happen to Stingtail now. I tried my best to stow it away, but the guilt weighed in on my heart. I needed to get out of the kitchen as soon as possible. I approached Amryo.

"Thank you, kind lizard," Amryo said. His voice felt weak but there sounded to be a determination hidden within the elf. "No doubt Saheila has sent you."

"Yes," I say. I looked around me. I whispered to him. "She says you have some valuable information."

"Ah, yes," Amryo said. "I'll tell you what you need to know as soon as we are safe."

He tried to step out and walk on his own, but his body was too weak to do so. He collapsed and I caught him. I was going to lift him myself but Ifan walked up and said, "Hold on."

He looked over at the Red Prince. The Red Prince's eyes widened when Ifan motioned his head toward Amryo.

"Why do I have to do this labor?" the Red Prince asked almost sounding offended. "She seems more than capable."

"We've done our parts of the work, perhaps you should do yours since you're the strongest of this group."

The Red Prince stared at Ifan in disbelief for a few moments before looking at Amryo. He snorted begrudgingly. He came over and took a hold of the elf and threw his arm over his neck.

"Try not to make a drag," the Red Prince said and lifted him up. He had a firm hold and walked out of the kitchen with the rest of us in tow. When we were a good distance away, I stepped in front of Sebille. She stopped and looked up at me, not seeming phased by my sudden movement.

"What in the hells did you do back there?!" I shouted at Sebille. I felt angry and irritated and I brought it out in my voice.

Sebille looked back at the kitchen and casually smiled back at me.

"Well if you hadn't noticed, I secured our way out of this hell hole."

"I made a promise to Stingtail that I would not rat him out."

"And you kept that promise," she shrugged and tilted her head back. "I was the one who did it, not you. You kept your promise and you have nothing to feel guilty about."

"That's not the point!" I snapped back. "Stingtail is dead because of you!"

Sebille stowed away her smile.

"Look," she gave me stern but calm look. "The point is, we were out of options. Unless you wanted to bathe in more bloodshed, which I would have been fine with, one life is a preferable tradeoff for another one. Especially since that life can potentially save the lives of at least four."

I tried to find a reply, but I found myself at a disadvantage. Her words had merit. That bluff with that dead assassin as the scapegoat would be a longshot considering that Griff may have never heard of that assassin. Was there no other way?

But within my gut, I felt Sebille had wanted this to happen. She wanted Stingtail to suffer and die. A large part of me wanted to scold her and accuse her of deliberately wanting me to suffer because I and Stingtail were lizards. But the other half of me stopped myself because she had been abused by lizards before. But it still didn't justify any of this. It wasn't right. But everything was so confusing and frustrating that I didn't know what to do. All I could manage was looking away from Sebille.

"Go," I said. My fists were clenched, and my body was stiffened with suppressed anger. "Your own kin needs your help. Best to keep him out of the hands of a scale skin."

I stormed away. I leaned up against a nearby pillar of the decayed fort. I squeeze my eyes shut. The anger in me surged back and forth to the point where I banged both of my fists against the stone and let out a brief scream of frustration. I pressed my head against the stone and sulked. In my mind, I imagined Stingtail being awakened and dragged to the kitchen kicking and screaming with the feeling betrayal fueling his fear. I didn't want to go down the beach to see it for myself.

After a few deep breaths, I felt my body relax and the anger eased away. Then I felt a hand gently touch my shoulder. I looked and saw it was Ifan. I pushed myself off the pillar and looked down at him. I could see from his eyes he had empathy for me.

"I'm sorry," he said.

All I could do was sigh and dip my head.

"Why did she have to do that?" I told Ifan. "I promised him this wouldn't happen. Gods damn it!"

"It's not your fault, Mahilia," Ifan brought up a hand to my shoulder again. I lift my head up and look into Ifan's eyes. "I know it isn't fair, but you have to understand that there wasn't anything we could have done at that point. I didn't like it as much as you, but if we were to save the elf, we had to make a sacrifice. I've had to make a lot of those in my life. I know it isn't pretty, but sometimes we have to make them."

If I'd heard it from Sebille, I'd have assumed she'd only said that to come up with an excuse for her to have Stingtail go to his death. But hearing from Ifan, I felt he genuinely believed in what he was saying. I moved my lips around from the conflicting emotions. Eventually I close my eyes, narrow my brows and nod my head.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked me. "We're going to need your help if we're going to get out of here."

"I'll…" I did my best to bring the words out of my chest. "I'll be okay."

Ifan gently clapped me on the shoulder and gave me a soft grin. His look gave me a small spark that lightened my mood.

"Well then… shall we head back?" he asked tilting his head down the beach.

I nodded again, with a little more enthusiasm. He certainly made me feel better. Ifan started down the beach and I followed right beside him. Now that my sour mood was past, I could think clearly. I then remembered something.

"By the way, did you find that magister you needed to speak to?" I asked Ifan as we walked down the beach.

"As a matter of fact, I did," he said.

"How'd it go?"

Ifan considered what he was going to say to me.

"I had to do some negotiating, but I got what I needed."

One word in his response stood out to me.

"May I ask what you mean by negotiating?"

"Well, he wanted me to kill someone," He started. "I didn't want to kill them. So being a little impolite seemed the least bad option...," he said.

I could imagine how it went down.

"Did it involve just a little bit of muscle?" I asked.

"Only the one in my jaw," Ifan said. It reassured me that he didn't have to kill another person. "The chap couldn't negotiate up from where I set things. Perhaps I could teach you the technique to add to your diplomatic skill set."

I chuckled.

"I'm all for learning something new, especially when it can be used to avoid bloodshed."

Ifan grinned again. "Anyway, I know where we need to go when we get out of here."

"Good," I said. "Now all we need is that way out Amryo knows of."

We arrived at the cave entrance. The Red Prince, Amryo and Sebille had already entered. We passed through to see Amryo embracing gleeful Saheila down near the fire. The Red Prince stood there with his arms crossed obviously impatiently waiting for me. Surprisingly Sebille wasn't there at the fire with the other elves. Instead she was staring at Kalias as he dug through his inventory for her. No doubt she was keeping her distance and keeping on her toes incase the lizard or someone behind her would do something.

The three children playing in the corner of the cave. Just the way I had left them. I was happy to see they were still okay. They ran to me when I came to them.

"We're so happy to see you again," Trice said. "I was worried something may have happened to you."

I was tempted to tell them about the encounter with the assassin or the part when Sebille put me onto the floor. But I decided it wasn't the appropriate time.

"I wasn't," Paulie said. "I know that with Ifan by your side, you can take on anything."

I looked over at Ifan. He pushed his lips together and shrugged with a tilted head.

"Well even with our skills, we won't turn down the help of others," I told the children. "That's why we got a new team member."

"You mean that new elf lady?" Sandy said. "She looks scary. She's not like the other elves."

Although I still had some lingering anger for Sebille inside me, I pushed it aside. I couldn't let anger cloud my judgment.

"She may be scary, but she has skills we'll need to escape, just like the Red Prince."

"You know what's best, Mahilia," Paulie said. "We trust you."

"Thank you," I said. "Now, I'm going to talk to the person who knows how to get out of here. You three just wait for a little while longer and we'll leave as soon as I know where we need to go."

"Okay," Trice said. The other two nodded in agreement.

The children retreated to their play corner. I shot Ifan a grin and he did the same. We walked over to Amyro and Saheila who embraced each other.

"I'm happy to have helped," I announced my presence to Saheila. Ifan stood next to the Red Prince behind me while I spoke to the elves.

"I thank you greatly, my friend," Saheila said. "Your kindness shall not be unrewarded. Amyro. Please tell them of the way."

Amyro gently patted Saheila on the shoulder and looked at me.

"There is passage that runs below the Fort. It is dangerous. But it leads to freedom. You'll find it further down the beachhead. The entrance is concealed, but you'll find it with a keen eye."

Having the thought of the way out eased a good amount of the burden.

"Thank you for your help," I said. However, there was a lingering thought on my mind. "But what will happen to you? You two could come with us. Or perhaps the others in this cave can too."

"Thank you, my friend," Saheila said. "But only you survive the passage. I see it. You are free. We must remain."

"Are you sure about this?" I asked. I felt very concerned. "You'll be at the Divine Order's mercy."

"I see your heart," Saheila said. "You want only to help. But if you are to help me, you must go. Alone."

I looked over at Amyro and he nodded. He stood by what Saheila had said.

"Okay," I said. "I pray your god will watch over you."

"As I for yours," Saheila said. She then took a hold of Amyro again both elves giving comfort to each other. It still didn't feel right to me leaving them here. But I conceded. It was a sacrifice, as Ifan put it.

I let the two elves be and turned back to Ifan and the Red Prince. To my surprise, Sebille had already changed her attire to a leather outfit and had joined the other two, keeping Ifan between her and the Red Prince.

"So," Sebille spoke up. "Did the blind nut tell you where we need to go?"

Sebille's tone surprised me. I hadn't expected her to refer to her own kind like this. She must have had a history with her kind or something from what I could observe. Could she be an exile? Like the Lizard exiles who left the Empire either in disgrace or by choice? It raised questions. But it wasn't time to ask them.

"Yes," I answered her. "There's a concealed entrance to a tunnel further down the beach. Amryo says it runs under the fort and it may be dangerous. But I believe it's the best course of action we have."

"Works for me," Sebille said with a relaxed poster. "I'm more than ready for a fight."

"Now hold on there, lass," Ifan turned to her. "Before we get to the fighting, we need to make sure that we can fight together."

Sebille was silent for a moment then replied.

"Teamwork isn't quite my specialty. But I suppose it's not too late to learn something new."

Ifan looked over at the Red Prince then back at Sebille.

"Since you have a way with knives and quick reflexes, you'll act as support for the frontline soldier."

She looked over at the Red Prince and, as I expected, they both gave each other a look of disgust.

"Please," I interjected before Ifan said anything. "I know we have some bad blood between us. But we can't let that keep us from working together."

Sebille gave me a neutral look then gave a small grin.

"I guess I'm willing to look past appearances for the time being," Sebille said. "Though I will be keeping my distance outside of the fight."

It was a start for sure.

"Okay," I said. But before I could say anymore, I heard my stomach growl. We all looked at each other and we realized none of us have had a proper meal since the night before. It was then an elf walked up to us.

"You will need your strength, friend," she reached into the basket she held and pulled out a full loaf of bread. My eyes widened and my stomach lurched seeing the food presented to us. But my mind stepped in front of my stomach.

"Are you sure you want to give that to us? You seem to have a short supply of food as it is."

"Saheila insisted you have it," the elf said. "And don't you worry about the children in your company, I have fed them apples while you were rescuing Amryo."

She bowed to me.

"I wish you well, friend."

She walked away to join Saheila.

I looked down at the loaf of bread. My stomach beckoned to have it. I turned back at the others and I could see in their eyes that their stomachs were the same as mine. Though the Red Prince's eyes showed his stomach was aching more.

I immediately began pulling the bread into quarters. I offered the first piece to the Red Prince and, not to my surprise, he snatched it up and hastily stepped aside gorging himself on it. The next piece was to Sebille. To my actual surprise, she accepted it with a smile on her face and a gentle curtsy. I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy seeing her act like that. The last was Ifan. He took his piece with a polite grin and nod. I nodded in return. We both found a nearby rock to sit and have our bread. We both ate our pieces in silence.

The bread itself was in decent condition. Not at all stale like I expected it to be. I bit through the crust and gulped down the morsels one by one where my stomach accepted each graciously. When I had finished, my stomach wasn't aching as badly anymore. I wasn't famished, but it would do for me and the others to do what needed to be done. Ifan and the others had finished their pieces. All that was left was to gather the children and make our escape.

"You lead the others outside. I'll get the children and meet you outside."

"Sure thing," Ifan said.

I walked over to the children and they stood up immediately.

"Are we ready to get out?" Sandy said.

"Yes," I said to them. "The path will be dangerous, so I need you to stay behind me and do what I say, when I say it."

"You got it, Mahilia" Paulie said. The others nodded in agreement. They were ready, and so was I.

"Then follow me."

With the children close behind me, I walked up to the cave entrance where my three new companions were waiting. We were off to escape Fort Joy.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Phew! College is finally over. That means I can now have more time to work on this.

I apologize to all the Stingtail sympathizers out there, but I felt it was necessary for the development of the characters here. Also, I know I left out Saheila's amulet, but I felt it was necessary to leave out considering it turns out to be irrelevant later.

But otherwise, I'm really having a blast continuing this story. Reviews fuel me to get them done faster. Tell me what you think. It really helps. Thank you for reading. Chapter 9 is already in the works.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The four of us, and the three children in tow, walked down the shady beach. Luckily, we didn't encounter any of Griff's goons or Magisters patrolling the area. After a minute walking and scouring the sands, we came to the edge of the beach that ended in with a steep cliff wall. No other way out other than swimming for miles and drowning halfway to shore. There were also several pieces of junk littered amongst the beach. The remains of a rowboat, rocks, chunks of wood and even a length of intact rope. The entrance to the tunnel had to be here somewhere.

"You know," the Red Prince spoke up. "I've just had a thought. It's really going to be hard to fulfill my role of the 'frontline soldier' considering I don't have proper weaponry or protection."

"What? The plates on your chest and your scaly skin not enough to stop arrows?" Sebille retorted. I could tell the Red Prince was irritated by Sebille's remark, but he brushed it aside.

"All I'm saying is that if I'm to bear the brunt of the attacks our enemies, it would be wise to be given a sword and a shield as soon as possible."

"Well lucky for you, this beach is littered with the tools necessary to make somethings adequate enough," Ifan said picking up the rope. He then pulled out a small hammer from one of his pockets. He must have picked that up while he was out finding the bribable Magister in the fort ghetto.

"Just give me some time and I'll have you a sword and shield ready."

"In the meantime, we'll look for the entrance," I said.

Ifan nodded. He started picking up pieces of the wood litter on the beach and started pulling the nails off the boat. The Red Prince and Sebille went their separate ways along the beach.

"Okay," I turned to the children. "Do you want to help?"

"Of course," Paulie said and the others agreed.

"I want you to stay together and search for anything that may look like a hole to a tunnel or cave. Stay on the beach so I will still see you."

"Okay Mahilia," Trice said. "We'll do our best."

The children set off together and I went my own way on the beach. I walked across the beach, occasionally running my claws through the sand to feel for anything out of the ordinary. The search continued until Ifan had finished his crafting project. He called the Red Prince over and presented him with his makeshift sword and shield, which was Ifan's knife attached to the end of a stick and a cluster of wood pieces nailed together to make a flat shield. The Red Prince took a hold of his new equipment. I could see he wasn't impressed with the quality of his new gear. Ifan shrugged and got up from his crafting spot with his own new weapon; a bow made from a branch and rope along with some makeshift arrows. At least Ifan and the Red Prince would be equipped for a fight, all be it with weapons that would be lucky enough to last at least one battle.

The search continued for a few more minutes until I heard Trice call out.

"We found something!"

I came over to them immediately and the others did too. The children had found a rim of stone that was protruding out of the sand. I brushed aside some of the sand. The rim grew wider and deeper.

"How deep does it go?" Paulie asked.

"Deep enough that I'll have to get my claws dirty. Stand back."

Everyone did, giving me the room to stand up and kneel directly over the pile of sand. I dug my claws into the ground, pulling the sand under my legs out behind me. I continued unearthing the stone structure until suddenly the sand started to sink into the ground.

"What's happening?" Paulie asked. I stepped to the side. The sand continued to sink until it stopped, leaving a hole large enough for all of us to fit through. I laid down on my belly and leaned my long neck into the hole. I could see a cavern inside. I pulled my head out.

"It's what we've been looking for," I said. "The sand's piled up from inside the tunnel. Should make for a comfortable slide down to the tunnel floor. I'll go first and you three follow me when I say."

"Okay," the children said, and my three companions nodded in agreement.

I tucked my arms into my chest and dropped into the hole. Like I expected, I slide down the pile of sand and gently landed onto the stone floor. I immediately stood and looked back up at the sunlight gleaming through the hole atop the pile of sand.

"Okay, come down one by one," I called up. One by one, the children gave a small cheer when they slid down the sand. My three teammates followed until we were all in the cave.

"No going back now," Sebille said looking back up at the hole. Considering how smoothly the sand moved, it would have been impossible to climb back up the hole. We were truly on our way now.

"Onwards then," the Red Prince said. I took a breath and together, we proceeded into the tunnel. When we passed the reach of the sunlight, a new light illuminated the tunnel ahead. From around the corner, a flickering red light draped the wall. We turned the corner to find an opening to a ledge overlooking a cavern. We stopped at the edge and looked down at the bottom to see streams of flames coating the floor of the cavern. We could see movement inside the flames.

"What's down there?" Sandy whispered. Ifan kneeled and squinted down at the flaming pit.

"Fire slugs," Ifan said. Fire slugs were person sized mollusks that produced flames instead of slime. I've read about the fauna of the lands outside the Empire, both common and rare. I was about to say it was odd seeing fire slugs here, but I was startled when a single fire slug dropped from above and landed right next to me. The heat caused by the flames blasted over me causing me to jump and fall onto my back. The children immediately ran behind me while the Red Prince and Sebille drew their weapons read to fight.

"Wait, wait!" Ifan jumped in front of them. "I can handle this."

The lizard and elf looked at each other with a puzzled look. They relaxed their stance after a few glances. Ifan turned to the slug and kneeled.

"Hello there," Ifan said in polite voice. I came to my feet, feeling the flames of the slug radiate over me. The slug looked directly at Ifan and shook itself making squishy sounds accompanied by the flames flowing from its body.

"Oh?" Ifan responded. "And who might this princess be?" The Red Prince raised his eyebrows while the children looked at each other in equal parts of fascination and confusion.

"What in the blazes is he doing?" the Red Prince whispered.

"He's a fauna tongue," Sebille answered. The Red Prince and the children all looked at Sebille.

"A what?" Paulie asked.

"He's a person with the ability to talk to animals," I said. I have read about certain individuals who were able to do so. The most common were elves, seeing as their society revolved around humid lands more abundant in life.

"Wow," Sandy's eyes were wide with wonder. "I'd love to be able to do that!" The other children nodded in agreement. I looked back at Ifan's conversation with the slug.

"And what exactly has the princess in such a foul mood?" Ifan said. The slug moved its body around again.

"Well the Divine Order controls this place now," Ifan said after the slug finished rambling. "Whoever this Braccus Rex is, he must be long gone by now."

I gasped. The name…Braccus Rex. It sparked a memory from my studies. Did the Divine Order put the fort to hold Sourcerers on the residence of one of the most evil and corrupt Sourcerers of history? But I put my surprise away to witness the slug suddenly bouncing around. There was joy coming from the slug. It rambled on further before it turned around and lurched its way up a small slop of rocks. Ifan turned back to find all of us staring at him.

"I probably should have mentioned my little talent, shouldn't I?" Ifan said.

"It's okay," I said. "It most defiantly helped out here."

"How can I learn to talk to animals?" Sandy asked enthusiastically.

"Unfortunately, it's not something one can simply learn on their own," Ifan said. "I gained this talent when my source powers linked me to my Soul Wolf, Afrit."

"Soul Wolf?" Trice asked.

"Yes. Afrit is my wolf who accompanies me whenever I need him. Unfortunately, the collar here prevents me from summoning him."

"Oh," the children sighed.

"So, what did that fire slug say?" the Red Prince asked. "Who is this princess you were talking about?"

"He says she's Princess Zenthia of the Firelands. Sounds like this Braccus Rex punished her for some reason. Might want to talk to her to see if she knows of the way out of here."

"Right," the Red Prince said. "You may lead the way, humble ambassador."

I could tell Ifan wasn't amused by the Red Prince's remark. He walked down the slops of the cave down to the pit where the bulk of fire slugs roamed. The Red Prince and Sebille followed behind while I took ahold of the children's hands and told them to stay close behind me.

We traversed the rocky bottom of the pit and kept our distance from the fire trails left behind by the slugs. The slugs stopped and watched us pass with their slimy eyes following us. All the while the heat of the flames pounded on my skin. I imagined Ifan, Sebille and the children were sweating hard while my body could only take in the heat to warm my cold blood.

We eventually found ourselves before a fire slug three times the size of the others. This must have been Princess Zenthia Ifan had mentioned. He stepped forward. The slug looked at him.

"Greetings, Princess Zenthia," Ifan bowed before her. The slug shuffled as if displaying it being flattered by Ifan's gesture. Then it moved around, communicating to Ifan.

"I've heard of your plight, but never fear. Braccus Rex has been long-vanquished."

The princess was still for a moment then it franticly shook its body around. I could tell the giddiness that surged through her. She then moved her protruding eyes to a small rock untouched by the fires. On top of it was a letter. Ifan took it, most likely at the slug's request. The Slug bowed her head and slithered away. Ifan looked over at the rest of us and motioned his head toward the other side of the pit. There we could see a passage that led out of the chamber. We found our way forward. We moved up the passage, feeling the heat of the fires subside.

"What's in that letter?" I asked Ifan.

"She said it is a proclamation and I'm to bring it to anyone who will hear of it."

"A proclamation? For what?" the Red Prince asked.

He opened the note and made a quick read through it. He couldn't help himself in chuckling before he paraphrased what it said.

"She wishes to have all public records of her marriage with Braccus Rex be stricken and have the world know she's willing to consider courtship overtures from gentlemen of note and wealth befitting of her royal status."

The paraphrasing was most defiantly amusing but at the same time it felt tragic.

"Well, I think we might have found a suitable prince here don't you think?" Sebille looked over at the Red Prince. He only stared at the sarcastic elf.

"My scales may be the color of fire, but my royalty is authentic unlike her delusion," the Red Prince snorted back.

"I don't know," Sebille said with a mocking smile. "She seems very adorable. I'm sure you'd make a powerful couple."

I heard the children behind me giggle. The Red Prince said nothing.

"You said she was the wife of Braccus Rex?" I asked Ifan.

"Until she spoke out against him after the marriage turned bad. Then he turned her and her servants into those things."

"Oh, that's horrible!" Trice said. "Is there a way to turn them back?"

"None that I know of, unfortunately," Ifan said. The children felt bad hearing there wasn't anything we could do for the princess.

We followed the passage until we came to what seemed to be a dead end. But before any of us could say anything, we caught the outline of light coming behind a rock in at the base of the rocky wall.

"Must be crawl space," I said. Large enough for all of us to fit through thankfully. The Red Prince came over and, without making a fuss, took a hold of the rock and pulled with all his might. The rock slid out and the Red Prince put it to the side. The light shown through stronger. I laid down and peaked through the hole. What I found wasn't what I expected. I found myself in a prison cell occupied by a single female lizard sourcerer. She gasped and spoke franticly.

"Who are you?! Who are you?! You get out of here! Where are the guards? Guards? Help!"

I gasped and scampered through the hole. I brought my hand to the lizard's mouth. I forced her against the wall, she squirmed and tried screaming through my hand.

"Shh, shh!" I said trying to calm her down. "Keep it down, if the guards come, we'll both be in trouble. Just calm down and we'll be okay. I promise kin."

The eyes of the lizard were filled with fear. Even when she had stopped squirming and screaming, her eyes still danced with horror. She must have seen something. Something bad. When she was calm enough, I pulled my hand away and took a step back. The others had crawled though the hole and joined me in the cell. The lizard trembled and shuttered.

"Are you okay?" I said gently. "What's the matter?"

The lizard stared at me for a while and looked at the others before she uneasily replied.

"…t-they do terrible things here. If they think for a second, I'm trying to escape again, they'll do to me what they did to h-him."

"What happened? What did you see?"

"Not seen," she started again. Her sentences were falling apart from the terrors dancing through her body. "Heard. There's a man here. They tortured him. Questioned him. 'Seekers,' something about 'Godwoken.' He didn't know anything, but they didn't care. I heard his screams. I heard something…eating him. From the inside. Gnaw, Gnaw, Gnaw. It can't happen to me. It can't. it can't, it can't…"

The uneasiness she brought out slowly affected me. What could the Magisters be doing here? But I couldn't let it bring me down. I needed to move on. I tried to move the conversation away from the dark place it was in.

"You said you tried to escape before. Can you tell us where you-?"

"Shht!," she cut me off. "You can't escape. Don't you know what's outside the Fort?"

I shook my head.

"I tried to leave. I heard of a shelter in the Hollow Marshes, a place where Sourcerers can go…the undead had their hands on me in five minutes. Shredding, tearing. I came limping back, and now…now…now…"

She rambled until she closed her eyes and squeezed her face tight. She leaned against the wall, her body was knotted to the point it could snap. What she said sounded both haunting but also hopeful. A place Sourcerers can escape to. But undead? I've heard tales of souls who were still trapped in the mortal realm of Rivellon. Either as ghosts that haunted their graves or inhabiting the skeletal remains of their bodies still walking among us. Either that or the arts of Necromancy bringing the bodies of the dead to life again for whatever purposes the caster wanted.

"We're more than prepared for anything outside of the fort," I said. "We'll protect you if you show us how you escaped."

She seemed oblivious to my statement and only looked absently at the wall to her left.

"Outside the bones are gnashing. In here the Magisters are… are cutting, slicing, grinding, smashing…What to do! Ungh what to do…"

"This pathetic kin has lost her mind," the Red Prince walked up next to me. "We should waste no more time and leave her to her insanity."

I looked at the others and they agreed with the Red Prince. The poor lizard withdrew to the corner of the cell and curled into a ball. She was beyond reason or saving. I looked over at the cell door. I tried to open it. As expected, it was locked.

"Stand aside," Sebille was already on it before I was able to ask. I took my step to the side and Sebille had already pulled out a set of lock picks from her pockets and went to work on the lock. I went over to the children while we waited.

"Is it true what she said?" Sandy asked me. I could tell the prisoner's words had shaken them.

"About what?" I said.

"About there being undead outside the fort."

"I don't know, but if there are, I'm going make sure they won't lay a finger on any of you. That's a promise. Remember, I'll be brave for you, if you'll be brave for me."

"Yes, Mahilia," all three of them said. It was all the reassurance I needed. A moment later, the lock popped, and the cell door creaked open. Sebille only stood up and looked back at us with a smile of pride.

"Okay, stay close to me," I said to the children. One by one we exited the cell, but not before the deranged prisoner let out one last ramble.

"Poor things. Poor fools. I hope it's an easy death, then. Decapitation! Yes, I do wish that for you. Take care. Take care."

I told the children to pay her no mind. I closed the cell door leaving it as it was, other than being unlocked of course. We looked around us to see a dozen cells lining the walls. We were in the fort dungeon. Torches lit a select few walls giving it an unsettling atmosphere. There weren't any Magisters around, thank the gods. But there were several voices of inmates coming from the cells.

"Come on," Ifan said. "We'd better find the way out fast."

He went towards a flight of stairs leading to an upper level, being light on his feet. We did the same. But when I had past a cell on my way to the stairs, I heard a pain filled voice utter a familiar name.

"Atusa…"

I stopped and the children did the same. I looked through the bars atop the cell door. What I saw was horrid. An elf was laying on the cell floor. His skin was pale as a corpse, like the flesh was slowly falling off his bones, but he was just enough alive to speak. His face flashed so many emotions so fast I couldn't tell what he was feeling. This must have been the man who the lizard prisoner had spoken about.

"Atusa… is that you?" He uttered. Atusa, the lizard Magister whom the head Magister, Dallis, had executed in front of the fort. He must have thought I was her, with me being a lizard like her.

"I'm sorry," I told him through the bars. "Atusa is dead. She was executed by Dallis."

The elf looked up at the ceiling of his cell. He first sighed with devastation. Then he groaned with pain. While he did, I heard Ifan whisper my name from the stairway. I looked over at him and he brought his hand up to tell me to come along. I signaled him to hold on for a moment and pointed into the cell.

"Who are you?" I asked the elf. He did his best to overcome the pain and answer.

"V-Vardes," I said. "She…Atusa…she was to help me. Help me leave."

His body spasmed again.

"They did this to me. They're eating holes in my mind. They're making tunnels…"

He groaned in pain and tilted his head. I didn't know why I continued to watch this horrid scene of suffering. But he looked at me again. I could see a tear running down his cheek.

"I'm done for, but you…you…there's still hope…you must escape this place. Tell 'em I say hello when you make it out. They'll be looking for me. Tell them."

He looked back up at the ceiling again. I couldn't tell if his life had ended right there or if he was only preserving what little life he had left in him. I felt Paulie patting me on the arm wanting to leave as soon as possible. I nodded and I led the children to the stairway. Ifan and the others lead the way up.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I know that fauna tongue isn't as cute of a name for the Pet Pal trait, but I'd figure I'd put my own spin on the lore since it's not that clearly explained in the lore book. Next chapter is in the works and will be up soon. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my story. It really means a lot to me.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As we crept up the steps, I told the group of my encounter with Vardes.

"If Atusa was trying to get Vardes out, do you think there are more magisters who're helping Sourcerers escape?"

"Possibly," Ifan said. "Though it's best not to ask any magister that comes our way."

"Still, someone may know if this sanctuary we've been hearing about actually exists."

We reached the top of the steps to find a new hallway of stone walls. Chandlers hung above with candles lite and torches lined the walls. Barrels, crates and other supple containers littered the corridor. All around there were doors and more stairs. From within the hallways, we could hear distant noses.

"Easy to get lost in here," Sebille said. "Anyone have a clue where to go?"

Before anyone could answer, we heard a voice shouting from behind one of the doors. Instinctively, we hide behind whatever was nearest to us. We heard the voice shouting again followed by what I perceived to be a punch to a face. I looked over at Ifan and I slowly crept to the door. I moved my eye to the keyhole and peered through it.

I saw four magisters standing around a fifth magister who was tied to a chair. His face was swollen, and his left side was bloodied. The leader, from what I observed, wound up his fist and swung it against the magister's face. The other three only stood around with their arms crossed.

"How many was it Del?!" the leader scolded the magister. "How many of 'em did you let go?!"

"I…I…" Del, the tied magister, tried to speak but the pain got in the way.

"Go on, speak!" the leader said. "That's why you're here isn't it?"

Del spat out a wad of blood before replying, "It- it isn't… right!"

"That right, Del?" the leader put his hands on his hips. "Isn't right to save the entire realm from divine-damned chaos?"

Del tried to respond but a sob got in the way.

"P…please…" he said weakly. The leader grabbed Del by the forehead. If Del had hair, the leader would have grabbed him by that instead. He brought his face down into Del's.

"Gods knows how much blood you have on your hands now. You can't let 'em go! This is our only hope against the Voidwoken!"

He pulled his face away and let go of Del's head.

"I ought to feed you to my hounds for this treachery."

I pulled away from the door and crept back into the room. The others gathered around me.

"There's a magister being tortured in there. He might be associated with Atusa."

"Which means he might know of a way out," Sandy whispered.

"You have to save him, Mahilia," Trice said.

"How many of them are in there?" the Red Prince asked.

"Four," I said. "Better equipped and better trained."

"Well, we can most certainly tip the odds in our favor," Sebille twirled one of her daggers. She looked over at Ifan. "Can't we?"

He looked around the room, observing the crates and barrels. I could see he was formulating an ambush.

"If we can set things up right, we could do it."

Everyone else seemed ecstatic about the plan. Initially, I didn't feel it was going to be worth it. We'd have to take four lives to save one. But it was a life that was possibly helping sourcerers escape. With his help, we could find the quickest and safest route out of the fort and into the Hallowed Marshes. It was a sacrifice we were willing to take.

"Okay," I said. "What's the plan, Ifan?"

We huddled together and Ifan whispered the plan. A few minutes later, everything was in place and everyone was in position. We started the first part of the plan. A box was dropped and slammed onto the floor, breaking open and spilling its contents.

"What in the blazes was that?" I heard the leader behind the door. "Vern, check out what that racket is."

Several seconds later, the magister with a crossbow on his back opened the door. He saw the broken box. He went over to inspect it, just out of the line of sight of the doorway. The perfect spot for Sebille to gingerly leap from her hiding spot and land right behind the unsuspecting magister. With graceful motions, Sebille put a dagger into an exposed part of his armor. Before he could scream, Sebille put the second dagger into his throat and forced him to his knees. She withdrew the knives and brought the body gently to the ground behind a pile of creates. After that, she ducked out of sight.

"Vern?" The leader called out. "What's going on? You better not be messing around out there."

The leader let out a sigh of frustration and walked out of the room with the remaining two magisters behind him. They looked around trying to find their missing comrade.

"Vern, where the hell are-" the leader stopped his sentence when he saw a barrel of oil next to him. His eyes widened.

"Disperse!"

Ifan's arrow soared through the air and the flaming tip hit its target. The barrel erupted into flames, consuming the closest magister. The two remaining magisters jumped clear, scrambling to keep out of reach of the ignited flames. They immediately got to their feet only to find another red danger coming right at them. The leader jumped out of the way leaving the second to last magister at the mercy of the charging red lizard. The Red Prince slammed his body against the magister, knocking him into the flames. The magister flailed and screamed as he was burned to a crisp. The Red Prince took his stance and faced down the leader who drew his sword, ready to fight him. But the bolt of lightning I cast into his back left him vulnerable. The Red Prince took his chance and thrust his knife on a stick at the magister. It landed straight into the leader's throat. The Red Prince twisted the stick and the knife broke off still in the magister's throat. The magister's body fell to the floor, gargling his last breath trough his blood-soaked mouth.

Immediately, the Red Prince threw his now useless weapon away and ran over to the nearest water barrel. He picked it up and tossed it onto the flames. The water surged out and doused the flames. The path to the room holding Del was clear now. Ifan, Sebille, the children and I then emerged from our hiding spots.

"Well done everyone," Ifan said with a smile.

"You were all amazing!" Paulie said.

It did feel good being able to accomplish a successful combat encounter as a team. Still, a quick glance at the bodies gave me an uneasy feeling in my stomach. But I put it aside to focus on the task at hand. I immediately ran into the room and kneeled in front of the battered magister. Sebille walked behind Del and began cutting the ropes.

"It's okay," I said to him. "We're here to help you."

"Please," Magister Del coughed blood out of his wheezing mouth. "Please! Healing… I need healing!"

He was hurt badly. Too much for my simple healing spell to cure. It was useful only for small injuries like cuts and stabs like the injuries Sebille's needle inflicted onto Stingtail. I looked over at the table and wouldn't you know it, a small healing potion sat on it. I grabbed the potion just as Sebille finished freeing Del's hands. I took my hand and gently tilted his head back. I popped the cork off the potion and slowly poured the potion into his mouth. He swallowed the liquid, gulp after gulp until the bottle was empty. I let go off his head and took a step back.

Del inhaled sharply, like he had emerged from below water desperate for air. He brought his freed hands to his head, massaging his face. He opened his eyes to see me kneeling in front of him.

"T-thank you lizard," Del said. He looked over at Sebille and the others, seeing our source collars. "You must be trying to escape this place, aren't you?"

I nodded. "We overhead the interrogation when we passed through here. We thought you may know of a way out of this place."

"I do," Del said. "I couldn't take the sight of Alexander and Dallis doing the terrible things to the sourcerers, especially the children."

"Does that mean you're associated with Magister Atusa?" I asked.

He looked at me with some surprise. "How do you know about her?"

I prepared to give him the bad news.

"Dallis executed her earlier today. I'm very sorry."

Del looked away and swore under his breath.

"She was planning on getting an elf out by the name of Vardes. But they-"

"Already got to him," Del finished the sentence for me. "I've only been interested in getting children out of here, but Atusa insisted we get Vardes out."

"What is so important about that elf?" the Red Prince inquired.

"There's a camp in the Hollowed Marshes. It's occupied by a group calling themselves the Seekers. They wanted to rescue Vardus above everyone else here. They never said why."

"Who are these Seekers?" I asked. "Are they rebels who fight the Divine Order?"

"I'm not aware of their true intentions. They offered sanctuary to escapees other than children. I, and a handful of others here, were able to smuggle the small children off the island to passing ships."

"And how exactly did you get the children out of the fort?" I asked.

"There's a boat docked in a peer under the fort."

Del got up from the chair and pulled out a map from the nearby bag on the table. He laid it out and marked a path on the map with an inked quill.

"Follow this path and you'll find the dock. Two associates of mine run it. Tell them Madam Zoor sent you, and they'll let you pass."

I raised my brow.

"Why the name Madam Zoor? Who is she?"

"She's the headmistress of the orphanage we smuggle the children to in the far north. I can think of no nobler soul in all the realm."

I turned my gaze over to the children. Perhaps this orphanage could be the place where they could be safe once we escaped the island.

"Thank you for your help, Del. We deeply appreciate it," I bowed my head to him. "What'll you do now?"

"Don't you worry about me. You've given me a second life. I won't soon squander it. Or forget what you've done."

He bowed his head.

"Thank you, and good luck."

He walked out of the room and proceeded down a corridor opposite of the stairs to the next level.

"This Seeker camp seems to be our best bet," I said to the others. I took the map from the table and held it for the others to see.

"A straight shot to the dock," Ifan said. "We should head there right away. Not long before patrols will notice our handywork here."

"Right after I get myself a proper weapon," the Red Prince went out to the hall. He quickly replaced his former weapons with the sword and shield of one of the dead magisters. Ifan did the same with the crossbow of the magister Sebille killed. Sebille replaced one of her knives with one of the magisters' daggers.

"Alright everyone," Ifan said. "Follow me and keep low."

Ifan crept up the steps first followed by the Red Prince, Sebille and I with the children bringing up the rear. We followed the directions of the map. Turning corners and opening doors. We came to a flight of steps leading to the hallway that lead straight to the dock where the boat was held. Ifan went first. He peeked his head over the top of steps. He ducked his head almost immediately. The children gasped from Ifan's jerk and I along with the Red Prince and Sebille put a hand on our weapons. But Ifan motioned us to stand down when he peaked again. Then he stood up and walked over to the wall of the hallway. We each went up to top of the steps to see what Ifan was looking at.

Standing there with its back against the wall was a human man draped in a blood red robe. But that wasn't the unsettling part. That part was the man was completely oblivious to our presence. He only stood there, slightly swaying left and right like a puppet with the strings cut. His eyes, lips and the silhouette around both were completely black. Like his face was a mask hiding something underneath. Only it was his true face we saw.

Ifan looked into the man's eyes, then waved his hand in front them, as if to find something, anything that resembled a sentient being in them. But even from where I stood, I could tell this creature was not a living being. It was a husk. An empty being. A soulless vessel.

It was then that I looked down the hallway to find even more people of all species wearing the same blood red robes. All standing still and silent. My mind was a mixture of disgust, awe and horror.

Ifan turned back to the rest of us. His face displayed a feeling of anguish and defeat.

"I thought I'd seen the worst that life can offer," Ifan paused and glanced back at the man. "I was wrong."

"W-what's wrong with him?" Trice asked nervously. Her voice snapped me out of my horror filled trance. I knelled and averted the rest of the children's eyes.

"This is the handiwork of the Divine Order," Ifan answered the question. "I don't know what happened, but this man used to be a Sourcerer."

I was scared. More than I ever was since the moment the Magisters surrounded me on the streets and took me away. I started to crave the sounds and smells of the Empire. I wanted to plant my feet into the ground and let the sun cleanse all the horrible feelings I had. To be welcomed back into the arms of my parents and Brell.

"W-we…we need to get out of here right now!"

I started down the hallway first. The others followed. We passed several more of these husks before we arrived at an opening. Down a flight of steps was a waterway and, along with it, a rowboat docked on a wooden peer.

On the peer were two magisters; Del's associates I assumed. But they were holding a human boy by the arms. I could hear some bickering between them. I immediately sprang forward. The two magisters turned their heads. They noticed me and let go of the boy.

"What the flying hell…?" one of the Magisters looked over at his partner. "Carin, you said this way was clear!"

"Th..that's what the log said!" the other Magister said. "No-one's authorized to be here!"

"Well, the log was wrong, you idiot! I hope for your sake no-one will miss them."

I quickly put on my persona.

"Relax," I firmly said. "Madam Zoor sent us."

The first Magister cocked his head. He showed surprise in his eyes.

"That so?" he said. "Tell me: what would a lizardkin know about Zoor?"

I remembered what Del had said about Zoor.

"That there's no nobler soul in all the realm," I said.

The magister pursed his lips together. I could tell he was convinced.

"That she surely is. That she surely is…"

The other Magister spoke. "So, are you here to take this run?"

I continued my act.

"Yes," I said. "Yes, we are."

"Well the kid'll have to go with you. He's a little troublemaker, so be ready."

I nodded my head.

"Alright, come on Carin. We have guard duty coming up. At least we won't be late this time."

Both Magisters walked past us and disappeared into the hallway. I stowed away my persona and approached the new boy. He stared up at me. He didn't show fear but rather caution.

"Who are you?" he asked.

I didn't need a persona to convince him of anything.

"My name is Mahilia," I introduced myself. "Are you one of the children Magister Del has been smuggling out of Fort Joy?"

"No," the boy said. "I came in to help someone escape and got nabbed before I could sneak back out."

 _Helping someone escape?_

"Were you looking for Vardas?"

The boy's eyes widened with surprise.

"Y-yes. He was close to some people I know. I was too late though."

"Does that mean you're one of the Seekers?"

"Yes. My name is Han and I know where the camp is. I can take you there if you want. Just jump in the boat and I'll take the oars."

I felt relieved by the notion. We were going to get out of this fort and the horrors that it had within it's walls. I looked back at the others and they showed they were ready to get out too.

"We're ready to leave. Lead the way Han."

Han nodded and ran over to the boat. We walked onto the peer as Han checked the boat over.

"We should have enough room for all of us," he said.

I nodded. I told the children to get on first. One by one, Trice, Paulie and Sandy joined Han and sat in the bow of the ship. Next was-

"Stop right there!"

All of us drew our weapons and turned to the one who shouted. In the archway were a dozen magisters along with two hounds who barked and snarled in our direction. Source hounds. Dogs who were trained to track down those with the scent of source. The same kind that tracked me down when I was captured.

"You're outnumbered," the Magister in front told us. "Drop your weapons and surrender now!"

We all exchanged glances with each other. I could tell we had the same thought. If we surrendered now, we'd face the same fate as the husks we had seen or even worse like Vardes. We couldn't give up now. But the odds were stacked against us and there wouldn't be a diplomatic way to get out of this one. What were we going to do?

"My word Commander, what's going on here?"

The magisters suddenly stepped aside to let a more white than red magister through.

"High Judge Orivand?" the Magister Commander showed surprise but bowed his head. "What are you doing down here?"

"Oh, I'm just stretching my legs," the Judge said. "It can get rather tedious performing my duties in the chapel for hours on end."

He looked over at us.

"What do we have here, Commander?" he asked.

"We caught these escapees just now, your excellence. I suspect there are traitors in our ranks that lead them here."

"I suppose so," the Judge said. "We'll deal with that issue in time. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to have a word with these misguided souls. Hopefully we can avoid any unnecessary bloodshed."

The Magister was baffled by the Judge's request.

"Y-yes, sir," the Magister said. He signaled the Magisters behind him to stand down. They all did so.

"Thank you, Commander," the Judge said. He walked out of the formation of Magisters down the steps toward us. He stood at the beginning of the peer, right where the stone met the wood. He was an older magister, almost the age of Dallis, from my observations of human age.

"There's no need for violence," he said in a calm voice. "Let me explain everything."

One by one, we relaxed our stance just enough to appear to be none threatening. The judge nodded his head in thanks.

"Tell me, what have you heard of our good work here? Not much?"

None of us replied to him.

"Well, allow me to educate you about our work," he said. "The world is no longer safe. With sourceres running free, the Voidwoken come to terrorize all that inhabit the world of Rivillon."

He then pulled out something from his robes. He held it out for us to see. It was a wand of some sort.

"The Divine Order has found a solution for that. A technology lost to the time of Braccus Rex and brought back by Dallis herself. A cure for source. A way to save us all from the Voidwoken."

I could feel the build up to the revelation he was about to give. I had seen all the pieces to the puzzle and already put them together in my mind. What it showed was disgusting and horrid. I started to feel something inside of me. It was… rage. Burning and growing from my heart to my whole chest. I strode past the Red Prince and Sebille and stood in the open right in front of the judge. I looked directly in his eyes. No persona, only my true self presenting my raw emotions to him.

"Are you telling me you've used that wand to pull the source out of sourcerers and turned them into those lifeless husks?!"

The judge payed no real attention to my emotions and only pursed his lips and looked down at the wand.

"I know it's quite hard for you to fathom. But you must understand. The realm will be destroyed if you were to be left unchecked. The sourcerers here have sacrificed their source. Some would say the spark of life within them too. But they have all done so in the name of us all. The humans, the elves, the dwarves and even your own kin. They are all heroes. And you could be that too. You can save everyone else in Rivillon. Only if you make the sacrifice for the greater good."

There was a word that humans had to describe their state of being. Humanity. It could be described as the human term for morality, tenacity, spirit and sentience all put together. This man standing before me; he had none of that. What he was saying, of taking people of all races by force and taking away their souls to become husks that were neither dead nor living, it was… inhumane.

I tightened my fingers into fists. I squeezed them tighter and narrowed my eyes displaying. I felt a burning sensation inside my belly. It grew hotter and hotter like a fire. I closed my eyes.

"Whatever happens. However it happens. Either by the voidwoken or even from the might of the Ancient Empire…"

I opened my eyes and looked at the Judge. The fire that burned in my belly reached the back of my throat. I started to raise my voice…

"This order will…"

…until I screamed.

"BUUUUURRRR-"

What happened next, I didn't know for sure. The only things I remembered was a torrent of flames erupting and engulfing the peer and the judge before the world around me suddenly faded to black.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Dun, dun, duuuuuuuun…

Thanks again for reading my story. If you feel it deserves it, please feel free to share your thoughts, feelings and opinions about this chapter or the story in general with a review. Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I opened my eyes to see the sun through a canopy of rustling branches of trees. I mumbled when I felt my head ache. I clumsily moved my arms around, trying to get my bearings. It was then I heard a voice, muffled at first but it became clear.

"…awake! She's awake"

I recognized it was Trice. My eyes focused on the silhouette of her sitting next to me. I then saw two more figures come into focus. When my eyes worked properly, I saw it was Paulie and Sandy who sat down next to Trice.

"Are you okay, Mahilia?" Paulie asked.

"Y-yes," I said. "I-"

My mind raced trying to figure out what happened. I looked down to see I was on a bedroll. I heard the crashing of waves to my side. I looked to see the shore behind the trees the sun blead through.

"What happened?" I asked.

The children answered with excitement.

"You breathed fire!" they said.

I couldn't have heard that right. "I-I did what?"

"You breathed fire like a dragon," Sandy said. "You set the judge and the room on fire."

I didn't know what to say.

"I…didn't know I could do that," I said. "But what happened after that? I don't remember anything else."

"You passed out and the Red Lizard carried you onto the boat and we escaped," Paulie said.

I was surprised to hear it was the Red Prince who carried me. Though it would make sense since he was the strongest and lizards were heavier than humans and elves.

"And then Han brought us here and we've been waiting for you to wake up," Trice finished the story.

It didn't seem a lot has happened since I passed out. I looked up at the canopy in the trees. It was then that the realizations hit me. We were out of fort joy. We succeeded. The first step was done. Now we needed to find a way off the island next. But even with that problem still lingering in the background, the feeling I had for escaping the horrid hallways of the fort and being greeted with a beautiful scene of the sun gave me enough relief and motivation to want to keep going without having to force myself through it. It filled me with enough energy to move my body and stand up.

"Well, I suppose it's time we move on now that I'm awake," I said with a smile. The children smiled back. They were genuinely happy to see me in a good mood. "Where are the others?"

"They're over there," Sandy pointed inland where the sand slowly merged into the dirt. I could see four figures huddled together talking to each other. I walked out of the line of trees towards them. Sebille was the one whose eyes locked onto me.

"Well, look who's up and about," She said. Ifan, the Red Prince and Han turned their heads. Their reactions were as expected. Ifan and Han were happy to see me up whereas the Red Prince settled with a glad feeling.

"Well, you certainly seem to be feeling better," the Red Prince said.

"Much better after realizing I can breathe fire," I said. They looked at each other with the same awe as I had.

"Quite a feat indeed," Ifan said. "You didn't know you could do that before?"

"No," I said. "Even with all my studies, I don't recall ever reading about Lizards who could breathe fire like that."

"It's a rare talent that only a select few lizards have," the Red Prince said. Everyone looked over at him.

"How do you know?" Sebille said.

"Because you're looking at the only other lizard I know of who can do that too."

Everyone's eyes widened at the Prince's statement. I was immediately filled with questions.

"But before you ask any questions, I too don't know why I'm able to do it. I only remember unleashing flames during one of my training sessions when I was younger."

"And did you pass out the first time you did it?" I asked.

"Not entirely," he replied. "I did become lightheaded, but I recovered to resume my training. I suspect it was your rage that caused you to exert all your energy back there."

It made sense. I remember the burning anger I had and how I brought it all out when I screamed. Perhaps if I were to do it again and not pass out in the process, I should keep my emotions in balance so I wouldn't exert everything from my body.

"Perhaps you could teach me when we get the chance," I said.

"I suppose I could," the Red Prince said while looking at his fingers. "But for now, I suggest we look for the camp for a more permanent refuge."

"Right you are," Ifan said. "But first, we need to take the little detour I talked to you about."

Ifan must have talked to Sebille, the Red Prince and Han about the delivery he needed to pick up.

"Is it along the way to the camp?" I asked Ifan.

"Just need to go left in a fork in the road up ahead. Once I pick up what I need, we just retrace our steps and go to the right in the fork."

I grinned. Everything seemed to be going well and I felt I genuine feeling of positivity that I wanted to keep up.

"Well, we shouldn't waste any more time now, should we?" I said.

Ifan grinned, probably as a result of my chipper attitude rubbing off on him.

"Not at all," Ifan said. "Right this way."

He started first up the beach to the dirt path that lead into the forest inland. When the sand had changed to dirt, I could feel a liberating feeling from the trees. The cool feeling of the evening air along with the scent of the alpine was so foreign but also inviting. It was an amazing feeling when I put aside my worries of wanting to return to the safety of the Empire. I embraced this moment for myself. It would be one of the small moments that would make a big difference in the journey I still needed to make.

We came to the fork in the road Ifan talked about. We went to the left. I started making a mental note of our path just in case the road lead to many more turns. But thankful we didn't encounter any more of those. We made it to a small clearing in the trees overlooking a small cliff. We looked and in the distance beyond the trees, we could see Fort Joy itself. It did give me some worry seeing it somewhat close, but it wasn't enough to sour the optimism I still had.

Near the edge of a cliff was a most peculiar sight. There was a lone figure in a dark hood standing in front of a trader's wagon. The figure looked to be a human man from the size and dimensions, but I couldn't make out his face from where I stood. His wagon was littered with several barrels and crates along with an assortment of weapons and pieces of junk littered around.

The figure exuded an aura of restricted menace when he sensed us approach. But when Ifan stepped forward, his demeanor changed. He expressed a sense of recognition.

"Ah…" his voice was deep but ominous, like lingering smoke drifting in still air. "Ifan ben-Mezd, I presume?"

Ifan, showing a professional demeanor, nodded importantly.

"I am a friend. You can call me Zaleskar."

It was then that he pulled back his hood. The children, except for Han, gasped. Zaleskar was an undead. His face was a bare skull and his hands were nothing but the small bones clanking together with no skin or tissue to speak of. The presence of this undead wasn't scary, but rather, foreboding. Like a certain feeling between a living atmosphere and a dead one.

"I was told you have something for me," Ifan said, seemingly unphased by the revelation. He brought out the Magister Crossbow and presented it to Zaleskar. "Something a little more reliable."

Zaleskar took the standard crossbow with his bony hands.

"Yes. Indeed, I do," he said. He deposited the item into an open barrel full of junk and started rummaging through his cart.

"Quite a task to assassinate the head of the Divine Order. But under the circumstances, it is easier to corner Alexander out here than it is in the cities of the living."

He then found Ifan's package. It was another crossbow, only it was more elaborate and of better craftsmanship. He presented the weapon to him.

"This delicious morsel called Shadow's Eye should help you send him to his rightful place beside his father in the Hall of Echoes."

Ifan took a hold of the crossbow. Zaleskar graciously backed away and gave a curt nod. Ifan nodded in thanks. He walked back over to us. As Ifan inspected the new crossbow, Zaleskar packed his wagon up. When he finished, the undead lifted the front of the cart and pulled it along the road in the opposite direction from where we came.

With his inspections complete, Ifan nocked the crossbow with an arrow and aimed down the sights. From the smile on his face, he seemed rather satisfied by the feel of his new weapon. But he then raised an eyebrow and looked over at me. He held out his new weapon to me.

"Care to fire the first arrow from Shadow's Eye?"

I was caught a little off guard by the question. It almost felt flattery being asked that.

"I…suppose so," I took the crossbow in my hand. It was heavier than I had expected. Having only held wands and never weapons of physical nature, it was a little jarring. But I got used to it and found my balance. I put the stock into my shoulder and curled my neck to put my eye down the sight. I took aim at a distant tree down the cliff. I exhaled and pulled the trigger. The arrow launched and whistled through the air. It staked into the tree with a resounding thud.

"Wooooooow!" the children said in awe.

Ifan whistled a matching tune of the arrow. He gave me an admiring glance. It felt rather awkward having nothing to say in the moment. I tried to come up with something when I handed him the crossbow back.

I managed to say, "I guess it works just fine."

"I suppose it does," he said with a smile.

"Are you two quite done?" the Red Prince said behind us. "It might be wise to find refuge before nightfall."

The realization snapped me out of the moment. The Red Prince was right. We still needed to get to the Seeker's camp, and it was getting late indeed. Ifan holstered the crossbow over his shoulder and patted me on the arm. He walked over to Han.

"Lead the way, navigator," he said. Han nodded and started down the path where we came from. I followed behind with the children in tow. We came to the same fork and proceeded up the right this time. As we traversed the path, the land gave way to the swamplands. The waters saturated the ground, making where we stepped mushy.

"Oh dear," the Red Prince said. "This is going to be cumbersome to clean off."

"Must you make a production over everything?" Sebille asked.

"It isn't proper for royalty to be this uncleanly," the Red Prince said.

Ifan walked next to me. He leaned in and whispered. "He doesn't get out much, does he?"

I softly chucked. "It's one of the downsides of being royalty in the House of War. In fact, he led all of his armies without even leaving the comfort of his own palace."

Ifan sorted and started to laugh.

"What are you laughing about back there?!" the Red Prince looked back at us. We whipped the amusement off our faces.

"Nothing," I said, playing innocent. I could tell the Red Prince didn't believe us, but he only turned back to navigating the swamp after Han. I shot Ifan one last grin and smiled at the children who did their best to contain their giggles.

The trek through the marshes took some time and the light was beginning to fade. If we didn't arrive at the camp soon, I felt we would encounter more danger than what lurked in the marshes now.

I called out to Han.

"How much fur-"

BOOM!

We all ducked. The sound came from a distance behind a row of trees we were passing.

"What was that?" Trice said cradled up with Paulie and Sandy. I could feel the uneasiness in her voice.

"I don't know," I said. I looked up at the line of trees where the sound was coming from. I gestured to the children to stay where they were. I crypt up to the trees and found a break in the branches to look through them.

There was a clearing in the marsh where the evening sky was clear. Standing in the middle atop a boulder was a human woman. I couldn't see her face, but she shouted up to the sky.

"My Lord! I beg you! Make me whole!"

She traced glyphs in the air. But whatever spell she tried to cast only resulted in a boom of smoke. She screamed in frustration and shouted at the sky again.

"My Lord! It is I, Windigo! I have loved you! What is my sin? How long must I suffer?!"

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed as she looked at the ground. But my body jolted when, without warning, she turned her head around in my direction. Even with the trees obscuring my body, it was like she was looking directly at me. She made one more move before I realized what was coming.

"GET DOWN!"

I dived away and landed on top of the children as the tree was blown to pieces. I felt a shower of splinters pelt the back of my clothing and the exposed scales of my neck and arms. My ears ringed as I opened my eyes to inspect the children for injuries. They looked shaken, but not hurt. It was a relief but a short lived one. I saw Ifan, Han and the Red Prince were on their backs. They sat themselves up but stopped when they looked up to where the tree was before it was blown apart. I looked and I too froze.

The woman was standing there with her haggard face and blazing eyes looking straight at me. It was then I realized who she was. The woman who started everything.

"You!" the woman, Windigo, said in possessive anger at me. "You are my sin!"

Was she referring to her failed attempt to kill us on the ship the night before? I couldn't ask as she continued to ramble on.

"My master has condemned your kind," she said. "I smell the stench of your guilt with every Gods-damned breath you take!"

She looked up at the heavens again. She brought her hands up, as if presenting a gift to a shrine to one of the gods. Only the offering was me.

"I offer this sacrifice to you," she shouted, as if reciting a ritual. "Return me to your side. Make me wh-!"

Before she could finish, she croaked in pain. It was then that I saw Sebille standing right behind Windigo with one of her knives put into the back of the crazed woman. Sebille followed it up putting her second knife into Windigo's throat. But instead of blood pouring out of her neck and her body going limp, Windigo's eyes only glowed emerald green. She opened her mouth and let out a scream that no ordinary human could possibly make. Windigo took Sebille's arm holding the knife in her throat and pulled both the knife and arm away. She then pulled her other arm to her chest and swung it behind her. Her fist hit Sebille square in the chest, launching her back. Sebille landed onto a soft mound of mud cushioning her landing.

I scampered to my feet and grabbed the children. I saw a small ditch and ran toward it. When I took a glance back, I saw Windigo had pulled Sebille's knife out of her back. Again, no blood poured out of her or coated the knife when she tossed it aside. I quickly dropped the children into the ditch and said, "Stay here!" before I turned back and readied my wand. Wendigo looked right at me; no doubt anticipated my next move. But she sharply turned her gaze away to see an arrow that Ifan fired coming at her. Unlike her trick to deflect the Magister's bolts on the ship the previous night, she couldn't deflect Ifan's arrow in time. She raised her arm and the arrow staked right between her hand and elbow.

She screeched with pain. But she shrugged it off to notice the Red Prince charging at her with his sword and shield drawn. She pulled her unhurt hand back and fire started to emanate from it. The Red Prince saw this and stopped to bring up his shield. Windigo launched a fireball and it landed square onto the prince's shield. The shield caught most of the blast, causing the Red Prince to adjust his stance from the blast.

I realized it was my chance. I reared my hand back and recited the spell. I swung my hand forward and lightning shot from my wand landing square into Windigo's chest. She was stunned from the electricity that surged through her body. It lasted long enough for Ifan to launch another arrow. It landed right into Windigo's eye. She screeched another unearthly scream. She reached up and held the arrow.

Before she could do anything else, she gasped again. The Red Prince was standing before her and his sword was put straight through her chest. He peered into her eye, like a dualist expecting to see the life from their opponent slowly drain. Only the life didn't drain from her remaining eye. Instead, her lips curled into a sadistic grin. She started to laugh. She brought her hand to the hilt of his sword and forced it deeper into her chest. She laughed harder, as if mocking her opponent.

The Red Prince hastily pulled the sword out and swung it horizontally. Her laughing abruptly stopped when her head was cleaved clean off her shoulders. But before her head landed into mud, her body and head glowed green before both violently dissolved into a green fog that disappeared into the air.

The Red Prince sheathed his sword and holstered his shield. I walked over to the ditch. All three children were accounted for. I held out my hand and they all came out. I lead them to where the Red Prince stood with Ifan and Han following suit. Sebille had gotten up, covered in the mud she landed in. She held her chest and winced in pain. She picked up her dagger Windigo had thrown aside.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. She looked over at me still wincing.

"It's nothing serious," Sebille panted. "I just need to walk it off."

I could tell it was more serious than she was letting on. But I knew she wouldn't let me near her if I wanted to offer to heal her.

"What was her Master she was talking about?" Sandy asked the group. We looked at each other and pondered. I thought about our situation. She wasn't part of the Divine Order. Her handywork aboard the prison ship was proof of that.

"It could be the House of Shadows," the Red Prince said.

"It can't be that," Ifan said. "Did you listen to what she said? She wasn't interested in a reward for our corpses. She was serving someone. Someone who's keeping her alive."

"I slew her right here!" The Red Prince exclaimed. "Did you not see me take her head off?"

"She was undead," Ifan said. "She didn't bleed at all. And that laugh… I think we should all know what a laugh like that means."

"That she's going to see us again," I said with haunting realization.

"But that doesn't explain who her master is," Sebille said.

"All we know for sure is we've got another faction hunting us. We're going to need to tread lightly from here on," Ifan said.

This was getting out of hand for me. The positivity I had when I woke up was suddenly gone and the worries returned in addition to new ones. First it was the Divine Order who wanted to suck the source out of us. Next it was the House of Shadows who wanted the Red Prince dead. And now we had a third faction who sent that haggard woman to kill us. I began to feel that simply going home to the Empire wasn't going to solve these problems right away. But I didn't want to be a part of any of this.

"Well regardless," I said. "We need to get to the camp before it gets any darker."

I looked over at Han.

"How much further?" I asked him.

"Not far," Han pointed down the path. "Just around that bend and up the hill."

My body felt just enough relief.

"Lead the way," I said to Han. He nodded. He walked down the path followed by Ifan and the Red Prince. Sebille walked next still with her hand clenching her chest. Before I could offer to help her, she held out her hand. She didn't want my help. I looked down at the children and they gave a look of uneasiness but also determination. They weren't going to give up. And neither should I. I took their hands and I lead them behind the others.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm feeling great about the progress I'm making with this. I'll be able to get these chapters out faster if you keep giving me feedback and tell me what is working and what still needs to be worked on. Thank you so much for reading and feel free to leave a review to tell me what you think. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible. See you soon.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

We emerged from the wet grounds onto dryer land. We found ourselves at a cliff wall. It seemed like a dead end. But of course, that's what people in a hidden camp wanted you to think. Han walked over to the rock wall and ran his fingers over it. He then took hold of one of the mossy areas. He pulled and removed a part of the rock wall to reveal a rope hanging inside. He gave it a firm two tugs. At the top of the cliff, we heard a bell ring.

Shortly after, a lavender female lizard appeared at the top with her eye aiming down the shaft of a crossbow. But she lowered her weapon when her eyes widened with surprise.

"Han? Is that you?" she called out.

"Hi Bahara!" Han called up. "These people escaped Fort Joy and helped me out. We should let them in."

"Indeed," the lizard, Bahara, said. She then threw down a tangled mess of vines. The vines reached the bottom of the cliffside ready to be climbed. "Come, ascend to the sanctuary of Amadia. The Great Mother provides for all."

Amadia? The Mother of all Magic? Amadia was the outsider of the Seven Gods. Unlike the other six who represented the races of Humans, Lizards, Dwarves, Elves, Imps and Orcs respectively, Amadia was not of a singular race. Instead, her contribution was that of magic. Legend says after the 6 races spread across the lands, one day Amadia had a dalliance with a wizard. As a result, she gave birth to several demigods. She then granted her lover immortality and decided that she would act as the patron mother of all wizards.

One by one we climbed the vines. Bahara then nodded and led us into the hole in the cliffside. We emerged to the other side to find the Seeker camp. The mountainside was carved into a ring with the top cleared to see the sky. As we entered the camp, we drew the eyes of several of the residence. They were a mixture of all four species. Some lay on bedrolls, moaning in pain, while others curled their bodies into balls while others comforted them.

When Bahara brought us to the other side of the camp, I saw why this was called the Sanctuary of Amadia. Embedded into the cliff wall was a sculpture of Amadia's face. The mouth was submerged in a pond while water ran down her checks from her eyes. When I looked at Amadia's face, I could see the traits she was known for. She had the face of a human with an expression that looked sad but at the same time loving. She defiantly had the expression of a true mother.

On a protruding rock in the middle of the pond, there stood a figure wrapped in a cloth. It was a she from the voice that hummed a soft tune as she held her hands up to the statue.

At the tent Bahara led us to, a human man in gold-colored armor with an eye patch on his right eye looked down at a map on a wooden table. At his side was a younger human man in armor. Most likely his protégé. He looked up as we approached.

"Pardon me, Sir Gareth," Bahara said. "We have new arrivals who managed to help our little infiltrator back."

Gareth looked over at Han and then the rest of us. His face was a mixture of surprise and a dash of hope. He walked out from behind the table.

"Han," he said gently rubbing the boy's head. "Thank Lucian you've come back. We were so worried."

"I wouldn't have made it back if it wasn't for these people," Han said.

He looked over at the seven of us. He stood up and gave us a bow.

"Welcome, friends," he said. "No doubt you've overcome many obstacles to escape Fort Joy and find your way here."

I briefly thought back to those obstacles. I found myself stunned at how I was able to make it this far.

"We most certainly did," I said. "It's a long story."

Gareth looked at the setting sun between the crevices of the mountainside.

"Well, you can most certainly tell us of it now that you're here. Dinner is about ready."

The bread in our stomachs had long been used up. My nostrils caught the scent of roasting meat and simmering stew in pots nearby. It caused my stomach to growl loud enough for the others to hear. I gave an embarrassed laugh as the others did the same.

"Don't worry, all of our aching bellies will be satisfied," Gareth said. "But first, how's about we take care of the more immediate issue?"

Gareth brought his hand to his neck. Seeing him do that made me realize I had payed no real mind to my source collar since the beginning of the day. But thinking about it now made me realize how uncomfortable it still felt.

"Right this way," he led us to one of the other tents. There, working on pieces of amour and weapons, was a human blacksmith with a blond beard. He looked up to see Gareth approach.

"May I ask you to give our newly arrived guests a proper welcome, Kerban?" Gareth said.

"Of course," Kerban said and nodded his head. He reached behind the workbench and brought out a stool and put it under one of the hanging lanterns. As Kerban rummaged through his boxes looking for tools, Gareth nodded his head to us.

"Meet me at the campfire when you're finished."

He walked away leaving us with the blacksmith. Kerban pulled out a small repair hammer as well as some small tools. He walked over to the stool.

"Please, take a seat and I'll pop your collars off."

I was about to insist the children to go first but they said my name before I could say anything.

"Okay, just take a seat and we'll begin, Mahalia," Kerban said.

I swung my tail over the stool and sat down. Kerban adjusted the lantern to allow him to see better. He leaned in and nudged the small tool into the lock mechanism and gently tapped it with the hammer. He did it again to the right side of the lock then again on the left. Then, with a gentle tug, the collar popped right off. The now harmless piece of metal fell and thudded onto the ground. I gasped a breath through my unrestricted throat, a feeling I felt so thankful for.

"Thank you," I said.

"Of course," Kerban said. "Feel free to clean yourself up with a bucket of water and take a fresh batch of clothing."

I nodded my head and stood up. I watched as the Red Prince rushed forward to be next before the children could have a chance. I was about to protest, but I figured it wasn't worth it. I went over to the nearest tent where fresh clothing was set and found a set of Lizard robes.

 _Perfect_

I took it and made my way to the pod. I found the bucket at the edge. I dipped the bucket into the pool and brought it with me behind a nearby boulder. I stripped away the mud-covered leather armor and dipped my hands into the bucket. I splashed the water over the dirty spots on my legs and arms before I grabbed the whole bucket and drenched my whole body. After I let myself dry for a minute, I methodically put the pieces of my mage robes on one at a time. When I finished, I felt the closest to home I had ever felt since I had left.

I emerged from the boulder to find the Red Prince waiting. I handed him the bucket and he filled it for his turn. I went over to watch the children get their collars off. One by one, their collars were removed. It gave me so much relief to see them free. On our way to the pond, Trice said that I looked pretty in my new robes. I thanked her for it.

The Red Prince had finished cleaning himself and changing into what I believed he found to be… acceptable. He gave me the bucket and I filled it. One by one, the children cleaned themselves and changed into their new cloths behind the boulder. Sebille and Ifan got their collars off and cleaned and changed themselves too. The sun had completely set when we had finished. All of us arrived at the nearest fire and sat around it.

Gareth retrieved some bowls and filled them with stew for each of us. Unlike the turnip stew on the prison ship, this stew was laced with a mixture of vegetables and spices along with chunks of roasted meat. Rabbit? I couldn't tell for sure. I dipped my spoon into the stew and blew to cool it. I deposited it into my mouth. The taste was magnificent. The first gourmet meal I've had in days. My stomach accepted it graciously. I repeated the process again and again until my stomach was comfortable to pace myself. Gareth sat at the other side of the fire from me and he laughed at our acceptance of the food.

"Feels nice to have a decent meal, doesn't it?" Gareth said with a grin.

"Oh, you have no idea," the Red Prince spoke, sounding so delicate. We all shot looks at each other in amusement.

"So, tell me, how did you manage to find us?" he leaned forward, anticipating the story that would follow.

As we ate, I was the one who told the story. I recalled the escape from the ship leading to my miraculous survival washing up on the shore of the island. Then, I told him of how I met each of the others and how we helped Sahelia's friend who showed us the way out of the fort. We had finished our meals when I told him about Atusa, Vardus, Del, the sourcerers converted to what Gareth and the Seekers called silent monks and the moment I breathed fire onto the High Judge.

"May I ask why was this Vardus so important to you?" the Red Prince asked Gareth.

Gareth looked around at all of us, pondering what he was going to say next.

"We believed he was Godwoken."

 _Godwoken_

"With Lucian gone, there needs to be a new champion of the gods to push back the void."

"And you believed Vardus was Godwoken?" Sebille asked.

"Yes," Gareth said. "But we were too late for him. Now we are stranded here on this island."

He looked over at the wounded camp members at the adjacent campfires. His voice turned soar.

"Many of us were dead in a blink of an eye when we arrived."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Dallis," he said. "She sailed in on the Lady Vengeance. She had horrors at her side. Shriekers. Twisted creatures that were once sourcerers. Now they are living weapons. With only a look, they can liquefy any living being that gets too close."

As if the silent monks weren't the most horrid things I'd seen the Divine Order create. Now there were these shriekers.

"With our own boat destroyed, the only way off this island is the seaport on the other side of the marshes to the north. The problem is, shriekers guard the harbor. We'd be walking into a death trap."

"Is there another way?" I asked.

"To get off the island? No. But I did have a plan to deal with the shriekers earlier today."

"You had a plan?" Sebille asked.

"Gratiana, the shaman of this sanctuary," he looked back at the statue where the soft candlelight illuminated the presence of the Shaman still preying to Amadia. "She told me there is a technology here that could be able to destroy the shriekers. A purging wand."

The realization hit me.

"You mean the same tool the magisters are using to turn sourcerers into silent monks?" I asked.

"Yes. But if a purging wand is used against a shrieker, it'll destroy them. If we had at least one wand, we'd be able to purge every shrieker that got in our way. After that, we'd be able get on the rowboats and take over the Lady Vengeance docked in the harbor."

"But you didn't find one yet?" I asked.

"No," Gareth dipped his head. "The ruins of an armory I went to was picked clean by the magisters. I barely escaped a magister ambush with my life. Our options are running low to try to find one of those wands."

There was a silence between the eight of us. The situation played in my head. We were still stuck on the island and the only way we knew of to escape was blocked by horrors who could kill anyone with just a look. Gareth looked up at the stars.

"Perhaps it's not a good time to dwell on our predicament right now," Gareth said. "You all should get some rest. We'll discuss what we'll do in the morning."

I looked over at the children and I saw they were yawning. It certainly was a long day for them. They needed their rest.

"Indeed," I said and nodded my head. "Thank you for your hospitality, Gareth."

"Of course," he said and stood up to collect our empty bowls. "It's the least we could do for saving our littlest helper."

He put the bowls down on a table and went over to a supply pile. He rummaged through to find some bed rolls. He put them out in a vacant tent. He bowed and then returned to his own tent. The seven of us walked over to the tent. The children shared a single roll since they were small enough. I took a nearby blanket and tucked them in.

"Goodnight Trice, Paulie and Sandy," I said. "You're safe now. Sleep tight and dream good dreams."

"We'll do our best for you, Mahalia," Trice said. The boys nodded in agreement. I smiled and gave each of them a gentle kiss on their foreheads. When I turned around, I saw that Sebille and the Red Prince had rolled up their own bedrolls.

"Where are you two going?" I asked.

"That lizard who let us in here, she's the dreamer I was looking for. I need to consort with her before anything else."

"What, are you going to sleep with her the entire night?" Sebille asked jokingly.

"No," The Red Prince said. "But none of this is your business anyway."

As the Red Prince walked away with is bedroll in hand, Sebille took hers and walked to a different part of the camp herself. Ifan kept his bedroll by the tent and looked over at me with a grin. I grinned back.

"Sweet dreams," he said.

"You too," I replied.

He laid himself onto his bedroll and I did the same. I curled my body to fit onto it. With my head on the pillow, I looked over at the children who were already fast asleep. It gave me a warm feeling that eased my body. I closed my eyes and felt my conciseness fade away.

* * *

I had awoken in the middle of the night. Not from a nightmare, but rather a confusing dream. I remember vaguely the ruins of an estate at the top of a mountain on the edge of a forest. But after that, I only remember standing in the middle of a snowstorm looking up at something. I couldn't remember what, only it filled me with awe but also sadness. Was this a vision of the future? I couldn't be certain since I had not slept alongside a dreamer. Should I ask to have this investigated by Bahara? No. It didn't feel relevant or life threatening. I shouldn't wake her and bother her now.

The wakeup did jar my mind enough to make me want to take a stroll and get some fresh air. I quietly rose from my bedroll careful not to wake either Ifan or the children. I walked over to one of the tunnels in the cliff wall. I walked down it to find an opening that had a clear view of the sea and the star filled sky. I sat on the edge and took in everything. The sights, the sounds and the cool air gracing my scales and my lungs. After a while of relaxing my mind, I saw a figure standing in the corner of my eye. I looked to my right to see it was Sebille.

"I'm sorry," I said. "Have I found your sleeping spot by accident?"

"As a matter a fact you did," Sebille said. But before I was going to say I was going to leave her be, she said, "Couldn't sleep?"

I stayed silent for a moment before I managed to say, "Yeah. Needed to clear my head for a minute."

"Well…," she said. "Same here."

Her behavior was rather strange, awkward even.

"Mind if I sit here?" she looked over at a spot on the ledge several feet away from where I sat.

"…not at all," I said awkwardly.

"Okay," Sebille took her seat and looked over at the horizon. We stayed silent for a while staring at the sky.

Sebille then broke the silence.

"May I ask you a question?" she asked. I took my gaze off the horizon and put it on her.

"Of course, what?" I said.

"Did those children beg you to bring them along on your escape plan? Or was is the other way around?"

The question really caught me off guard. Not from the question itself, but the fact Sebille was asking it.

"I was the one who brought them along."

She looked away, looking a little conflicted.

"Why did you do it?" she asked.

I brought my feet up from the edge and sat crisscross facing her. She did the same.

"Not all Lizards are monsters, Sebille," I said. "You have to believe that."

Sebille sighed and looked back at the horizon. It was then that I saw something on her exposed forearms. I recognized they were names that were engraved into her skin.

"Are those the names of the people the House of Shadows forced you to kill?"

I pointed to her arms. She looked down at her right arm then her left.

"The ones on my right, yes," she said. "I don't know why the Master wanted them dead. But once I am free, when the Master is dead, I will honor those names."

She was on a path of both freedom and vengeance.

"And the names on your left?"

She looked to her left arm.

"They were breadcrumbs. Those I've tossed aside to find the Master."

All those names gave me an unpleasant feeling. If she was so willing to kill Stingtail, were the people on her arm the same too? Victims of circumstance who got caught in the crossfire?

"Do you wear those names like trophies or in memorial like those on your right?"

She looked down at her arms again. She didn't answer me.

"Does all that killing bother you? The ones that you've chosen to kill?"

She paused for a moment, contemplating her feelings.

"I honestly don't know," she said. "You see there's...There's triplets in my mind. The woman I am. The woman I must be. The woman I long to be. Like all sisters, they do tend to be at odds with one another. From time to precious time."

I raised my brow.

"If that's how you see it, who's the one I'm talking to right now?" I asked. Sebille took her time before she replied.

"I guess it's the one I want to be," she said. "But the problem is that she doesn't know what she wants to be. And I won't be able to do that until I find the Master and I put my needle into his throat. Until then, I suppose I'm the woman I am now. A merciless killer who'll remove any obstacle that'll get in her way."

We only stared at each other in silence. It was a lot for me to take in. I had nothing to say.

"Well…" I said. "I hope you can figure out what you want to be once you kill the Master of the House of Shadows."

I stood up and began to walk back to the tunnel.

"Mahalia," I heard her say. I turned around shocked that she called me by my name.

"Yes?" I said.

She fumbled with what she was going to say to me.

"It was… really brave of you to bring those children along. Most people wouldn't do that."

I found myself both surprised and thankful from what she had to say to me.

"Thank you," I said to her. I turned around and proceeded through the tunnel back to the camp.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Yes! I got the next chapter done in the same week. I'm still on track and I'm feeling very good about it. Once again, reviews are very appreciated. They motivate me to get these chapters out faster and better. Thank you so much for reading and I'll see you next chapter.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 _Kin…child of the dessert suns… come to me_

The morning sun peered through my eyelids. I opened my eyes with a squint and rubbed the sleep away from them. I looked out to see everyone else in the camp were starting to get up. I saw the children and Ifan were too.

"Good morning everyone," I said to the children. "Did you have good dreams?"

"I did," Sandy said. "I dreamed of you fighting the Magisters and freeing all the sourcerers."

"My dream was about Mahalia and Ifan fighting the voidwoken together," Paulie said.

"Well, I dreamed Mahalia was a lovely dragon who flew across the world to help people," Trice said.

My eyebrows shot up.

"You really think I look like a dragon, don't you?" I said to Trice.

"Dragons are the most magical creatures in the world. They can fly and do anything they want. And the best dragons are the ones who are as nice as you."

"Well…" I said. "Thank you."

I turned my head to the tents where the Seekers were preparing food. "Anyhow, breakfast looks to be ready. Let's go eat."

The children nodded and we all got up. We arrived at the fire just as Sebille and the Red Prince showed up. Today, we were served a single cooked potato and a small slice of leftover meat that was cooked last night.

"We apologize for the small servings," the female dwarf cook said. "Our rations are running low."

"It'll be enough," I said. Each of us dug into our meals.

"Everyone sleep well?" I asked. Mostly everyone nodded. But a nearby human Seeker spoke up.

"Not the Red fellow there," he said. "He was having quite a nightmare when he slept with Bahara."

I looked over at the Red Prince with surprise. I found it shocking I slept through the night without noticing something like this. Moreover, nightmares while traversing the Dreamworld could be extremely dangerous.

"What happened?" I asked him.

The Red Prince took a breath.

"There was… death in that dream. Chasing me like a hundred hungry lions."

"Does this mean your future is wrought with more danger from the House of Shadows?" I asked.

"If you're hoping that I saw where the House of Shadows will strike at us next, then I'm sorry to disappoint you. But I now know where I must go when we get off this island."

"Where?" I asked.

"I need to get to the mainland off the coast. There, I need to find Brahmos the Wanderer. When I get the answers from him, I will finally know the truth. The very secret of my soul..."

The rest of us looked at him precariously.

"And what's this secret you're looking for?" Sebille asked.

He looked over at Sebille. I could tell there was subtle hostility between the two.

"How's about we keep our little secrets to each other for the time being?"

Sebille snorted with amusement.

"I suppose that's understandable," she said. "We have our own paths to take, no real need to get involved in each other's story."

She looked over at Ifan.

"Even if it seems our stories are intertwined."

Ifan looked over at the Red Prince then back at Sebille.

"It does seem that way," Ifan said. "Though I'll admit, with the shortage of friends in this world, I don't believe any of us can accomplish any of our goals on our own."

He looked over at the Red Prince.

"Alright," the Red Prince said. "I'll accept your assistance and assist you in return. But I still won't tell you of my goal until it becomes relevant."

Ifan nodded his head graciously. Sebille too seemed content for the time being. She then looked over at me.

"How about you, Mahalia? Are you going help us?"

"I…" I didn't know what to say. All three of these people had a journey they needed to make. From our past encounters, we needed each other to get through the obstacles that barred our way. But when I looked at the bigger picture, I wasn't involved with any of these people. They had qualms they needed to settle. The only qualm I had was to escape the island and go home.

"I don't know if I can help," I said. The three of them as well as the children looked at me in surprise.

"Why not?" Sebille asked. "Who'll be our master negotiator? Who'll patch up wounds when we get cuts and bruises? Who'll give our foes a jolt of lightning to tell them we shouldn't be trifled with?"

"It's just that…" I choked on my words. "I'm not a fighter. I never wanted to be in this situation. All I want to do is go home to the Empire."

I brought my hand up and showed them my wedding band.

"I have a family and a future husband. I can't imagine how worried sick they are for me."

"Well has it occurred to you that the Empire is in jeopardy from the House of Shadows?" the Red Prince said. I was surprised he wanted me to come along even after I accidentally zapped him in the back. "If you don't help me, you might not have a family or husband to go back to."

"Furthermore," Sebille added in. "What about that moment when you killed the Judge swearing the Divine Order will burn?"

I recalled the moment. The anger I had. It overwhelmed me. It controlled me. It changed me into someone completely different. It horrified me remembering the thoughts I had.

"That wasn't me," I said. "I let my anger control me. I shouldn't have let that happen. I'm not a bloodthirsty killer. I'm a lizard of the House of Law. It's our job to avoid bloodshed and resolve issues peacefully."

Ifan was the one to speak up next.

"I'm sorry to say this, but…words and diplomacy aren't going to fix the problems we're facing now. The Divine Order. The Voidwoken. The House of Shadows. We're going to need your help if we're to succeed. But we won't force you to do anything. It's your choice."

Ifan's words tore me even more. He was encouraging me to stick with them. But he also left the door open for me to go back. All this pressure was overwhelming me. So many things had come into my life in just the span of a few days. I remembered my time back at the Empire. Everything was so simple. I had no real worries other than learning what I could to pass my classes to achieve my place in society.

"I…" I tried to speak but the emotions were racing through me uncontrollably. "I need to…"

I stood up and dropped the empty plate off my lap. I walked away and wandered across the camp. I found myself at the edge of the pond. I had my head dipped looking at my reflection in the water. Was that me I was seeing? Or was that the person who killed a few people yesterday.

I looked up at the statue. It was then that I noticed that Gratiana, the shaman, was no longer on her rock in the middle making her prayers. Instead I found her standing behind me. She wore her white mask. It was shaped just like Amadia's face. Only the eye slits didn't show anything that resembled eyes behind it. Only dark holes.

"Amadia's blessings, child," she gently bowed to me. When she came back up, her gaze looked deep into my eyes. Even though I could see no eyes, I could tell she was peering straight through me.

"You seem distraught," she said. "What is it that troubles you?"

Her gentle voice had a soothing feeling. All the emotions running through me started to slow down enough for me to formulate a response.

"I'm…" I tried my best to describe my situation. "Stressed. Torn. Conflicted."

"Please, do tell me, child," Gratiana said.

I took a breath.

"We're still stuck here on this island with no way out. Furthermore, if we do get off this island, I don't know what I'm supposed to do after that. My companions want my help in their endeavors, but I have a family back home who's worried sick about me. I also have three human children in my care who have no home to be safe in. And to top it all off, we have the Divine Order, the Voidwoken and now the House of Shadows all hunting us down. I just, don't know what to do now."

Gratiana took a step back and looked to the face of Amadia for a moment before she looked at me again.

"I do not have the answers to all of your endeavors," Gratiana said. "But I may have a solution to the first step."

She reached into her robes and pulled something from her pocket.

"Gareth had failed in acquiring the soul-forged weapons from the armory. But there is another vault on the island."

She opened her gloved hand to show a ring.

"This will help you gain entrance to the manor of Braccus Rex without trouble."

Hearing Braccus's name gave me a shiver.

"The vault is inside the home of Braccus Rex?" I asked.

Gratiana nodded.

"It is a far more dangerous task to undertake. But it is far beyond the Magister's guile. If you want to escape this island and help these people, you will need to be strong to accomplish this task. Do you still have the bravery to do it?"

I took a step back and pondered. I had been through many challenges so far. I had so many burdens on my shoulders. But right at this moment, I had three children in my care and a family who wanted me back home. If I were to save them and see my family, I needed to do this. I inhaled and exhaled a heap of stress out of my body.

"Yes," I said. "Yes, I do."

Gratiana brought her hand up, signaling she wanted to open my own hand. I did so and put my open palm over hers. She then gently placed the ring into my hand. As soon as it touched my palm, I suddenly felt a cold dark pain shoot from my hand up my arm. I gasped and closed my hand over the ring. I tried to move but Gratiana held onto my wrist. My arm shook but it then relaxed. Gratiana then loosened her grip and let me open my hand. When I looked down at the ring, I felt something else. I felt that someone was whispering in my ear. It was telling me that I should put the ring on. I slowly felt my other hand raising up, tempted to obey the words. But when my hand was halfway up, I stopped. I forced my arm down and relaxed myself. Gratiana looked up at me with a tilt of the head.

"The cruelty of Braccus is strong," she said. "But I feel that your will can overcome the trials that stand before you."

Hearing her gave me the slightest bit of confidence. I felt the pain and the whisper caused by the ring slowly fade. It wasn't gone completely, but it felt manageable like a fresh bruise on an arm. I looked down at Gratiana.

"I'll get to the vault and find what we need."

Gratiana nodded her head.

"See the map at Gareth's tent. It'll show you the route to the manor."

I nodded. But before I could walk away, Gratiana spoke to me again.

"Before you depart. There is something more I must ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Within the same vault are relics of great power: Soul Jars. I ask that you retrieve these jars. With them I could make an offering of them to Amadia. Her blessing could help heal many of the sick and injured here."

I looked over at the tents filled with the Seekers in pain.

"I'll bring back the jars along with the purging wand," I said.

"Amadia's blessing upon your brave soul!" she graciously bowed. She then turned around and returned to the pond to continue her prayers to the goddess.

I returned to the campfire to see that the others had finished their breakfast.

"So…have you decided whether you're going to stick around with us," Sebille said.

"That's still to be determined. But for the moment, I'm here to help."

I brought up my hand and showed the ring to them.

"This'll get us into Braccus Rex's manor where another vault is. After we get in, we'll pick up a purging wand and something else Gratiana wants so she can heal the sick and injured here."

"Well, it looks like we have a plan," Ifan said. "We'll gear up and be ready within the hour."

I smiled and the others nodded. We walked around the camp to prepare for the journey we were about to take. We took care of last-minute hygiene concerns, equipped improved weapons and armor and marked a new map with the route to the manor.

"Good luck, you four," Gareth said as we were just about to head out.

"Thank you," I said. I went over to the children and gave them all a hug. "I'll be back soon."

They all nodded and smiled. It gave me confidence knowing they were safe and sound here. We went through the tunnel and descended the vines. Once again, we found ourselves traversing the swamps with Ifan at the front with a copy of the map of the island. Luckily, after traversing the swamps for twenty minutes, we didn't encounter anything dangerous or patrolling magisters. We found another hill that lead out of the swamps. We climbed it.

We then found ourselves at the entrance of the manor at the top. It was surrounded by a stone wall. The only way in from where we stood was a metal gate with a gargoyle perched on top of the doorway. When I looked through the gate, I could see an elaborate mixture of stone walls and metal fences. It looked to be a labyrinth of sorts. Hearing of the stories of Braccus, I could expect a lot of traps and unpleasant surprises waiting for us.

I took a deep breath and took my first step forward. When I did, I heard a crumbling sound. My eyes shot up to the source; the gargoyle's head moved to look at me with its two glistening agate eyes.

"You are not Braccus Rex," it spoke in a shadowy voice. I realized it was my cue. I reached into my pocket and held out the ring for the gargoyle to see. It then tilted its head.

"Welcome back master," it said.

Just when it had finished its sentence, I felt the ground beneath me disappear. But as quickly as it disappeared, my feet felt the surface of a stone floor. My eyes caught up and I realized that all four of us were on the inside of the wall. In front of me was a doorway to a large tower. When I turned around, I saw the maze. I realized the ring allowed us to bypass the entire labyrinth. I looked up to see the same gargoyle perched over the doorway. Like before, it moved its crackling head to look at me.

"Your inmates have long awaited you return, your highness. Welcome back."

It then moved back to its default position looking blankly forward. I looked at my partners and we shared a look of surprise.

"I guess that's some trouble we avoided thanks to this," I held the ring between my index finger and thumb.

"Indeed," Ifan said. "Time to head in and see if we can't find this vault."

We all nodded. Ifan went first. He walked up to the door and grabbed ahold of the door handle. He gave it a turn and the door opened without hassle. One by one, we entered the tower. Inside, there was a spiral staircase. The stairs leading up were blocked by rubble so the only way we could go was down.

We followed the descending steps single file. When we emerged from the bottom, we found ourselves in a large room. It was decayed with rubble and vegetation was growing in the pockets of sunlight peering through the holes in the walls and ceiling. To our left there was a wall with a large doorway in the middle.

But to the right was a table. Sitting around it were three undead Skeletons playing cards. They creaked and turned to stare at us with their empty eye sockets.

"A beating heart?" the skeleton of a female human with grey hair still attached to her head said. "Does Braccus need us once more, jailor? Are we finally to be freed?"

I immediately took a step forward and put on my persona.

"You must be the prisoners the gargoyle talked about," I said. "No, we're not jailers for Braccus."

"You're not one of Braccus's Brood?" the human undead asked. "You're not Gratiana's pet? Then why do you disturb us?"

Hearing Gratiana's name made my brows shoot up. I was about to ask what Gratiana had to do with this, but the male lizard skeleton spoke up.

"The flesh yearns for our secrets! Did I not say that word world spread of our genius?"

The third skeleton, a female Dwarf, spoke next.

"Even after the maggots took your tongue, you still talk too much. Silence yer jaw!"

I decided to redirect the conversation by talking to the human undead.

"To answer your question, we're here to find a vault that contains soul jars."

All three of the undead turned their boney faces to me. Even though they didn't have faces, I could tell they expressed a mixture of surprise and hope. But then it deflated to the sense of defeat as if realizing the thing they hoped for was an impossibility.

"You're here to get into the vault that contains our soul jars?" the human undead asked.

 _Their Soul Jars?_

I nodded. "Did I not make our intentions obvious?"

The Lizard undead spoke up.

"It'll be quite a feat to even enter the vault to begin with. And even if you could get past the blasted cursed lever, it's guarded by traps of a cunning not seen by your babe's eyes, and-"

"By the horns of Balberith," the undead human interrupted. "You design ONE reasonable trap and won't shut up about it for centuries!"

"And thine were better?" the lizard undead shot back at her. "Couldst thou have brought forth such cunning use of light?"

"Mine did not constantly disintegrate the laborers building them," the human undead fired back.

"The fault was in thine zombies! The worms in your skull follow instruction better than they!"

Hearing their bickering gave an unpleasant feeling that they've been dead for a very long time and they've had nothing to do except talk to one another. Couldn't imagine how horrid a fate that would be.

"You said something about a cursed lever?" I asked.

"Of course." the dwarf undead said. "Braccus couldn't be too careful to guard his most prized possessions and keeping our souls bound here. Soon as anyone touch that lever, they'd be halfway dead begging to be completely dead."

Well, that put an obstacle in our plan. Still, this was our only option at this point.

"We'd like to see this lever anyway," I said.

The skeletons all looked at me again with surprise.

"You'd just walk in and touch the lever?" the human undead asked.

"These fleshlings must have a death wish," the dwarf undead said. "Let's see them try it."

"Our first batch of entertainment in centuries is seeing four fools flail on the ground half dead until they eventually die?" the lizard undead said. "Oh, I'm more excited than ever to see it!"

"As long as it makes you shut up about all those stories you tell us over and over, I'm for it," the human undead put her cards down and stood up from her chair. She then produced a key from her dusty robes. She walked over and held it out to me.

"You'll need this to get through the door. You'll find the gate to the vault on the other side along with the cursed leaver. Hope you don't mind us tagging along to see the misery that'll ensue."

I kept a straight face as I took the key from her bony fingers.

"We appreciate your assistance," I said. I turned back and walked over to the door. As they said they would, the three skeletons followed us. I took the key and put it into the lock. The door clicked and it swung open. We looked inside to see a wide room with a collection of armors, paintings and decayed pillars and walls. On the other side was the lever undead told us about. Right next to it was an archway that was blocked by a glowing translucent wall.

When we arrived the other side, the three undead walked in front and formally presented the lever to us.

"Here's your lever," the dwarf said. "Just simply touch it and you'll be half dead within seconds."

But I wasn't paying attention to the undead who're eager to see mortal suffering for their first amusement in centuries. Instead my eyes were on a nearby statue. It was a statue of a deity, but the head and hands were missing. Yet somehow, I found myself drawn to it. I started to walk toward it. The others noticed me walking away and followed me. The undead were flabbergasted seeing us ignore the lever. They questioned if we were dumber than the dumbest of the trio.

I stopped at the base of the statue. As I stared at the missing head, I could feel something inside of me. Like a voice speaking from inside my chest. I listened closer and the voice grew louder.

 _Kin…child of the dessert suns… come to me_

I felt my entire body shake. Though the statue was immobile, I could feel as if a spirit had inhabited it. That spirit then emerged, reached out and grabbed me. It pulled me out of my own body and took me away into endless darkness.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Decided to combine a few things together to avoid as much filler as possible. Did I do a good job and am I keeping a good pace? Tell me by giving me a review. They go a long way in motivating me to keep the pace up and get these chapters out as soon as possible. Thank you for reading and I'll see you next chapter.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

My eyes opened. I looked down at my feet. I found myself standing on a familiar metallic floor. I looked up. All around were hexagonal pillars, either small ones the size of the palm of my hand or big ones made of multiple small ones. The air was still and quiet surrounded by a green aura.

 _The Hall of Echoes? Again? Is this another dream?_

Before I could question it further, I saw several nearby pillars shift down. It revealed a path through the clusters. I put my feet forward and followed the path laid before me. I continued until I saw a glowing figure standing on a protruding edge of a cliff.

As I moved closer, I heard the figure humming a gentle tune. When I got close enough, I saw it was a female lizard. Sensing my presence, she stopped her humming and gracefully turned to face me. When I saw her onyx eyes, three-layered crown and feathered shoulders, I felt my entire body almost give way from the realization. From the statues I've seen all over the Ancient Empire, it was undeniable.

Zorl-Stissa. The Goddess of the Lizards.

She gently raised her hands to me and began to sing.

"I called a hero from the chaff; I called her here to me. I called a hero from below, and she shall set us free."

Her gentle voice soothed me. Like a mother comforting her child. Her hands and her eyes beckoned me to come closer. I approached her slowly as she sung again.

"Hear and heed my call, my love, your hand is mine to hold; hear and heed my call, my love. I've secrets to unfold."

I found myself kneeling before her. Her onyx eyes peered affectionately into mine. She then cradled my face into her hands.

"You are mine, you are my own; your life belongs to me. You are mine, you are my own; my champion to be."

The last words that Zorl-Stissa said suddenly made me feel something. It was something that didn't feel right. I pealed my eyes away and gasped. I pulled my head out of her hands and stumbled backwards onto my back. Her loving eyes turned into narrow slits and she put her hand under her chin. She looked me up and down, as if evaluating me.

"You surprise me, child," she said. "You seemed easily persuasive at first. But it seems you have some resilience to trust after all. Perhaps I have chosen well."

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. I brought myself to my feet.

"Chosen? You were… testing me?" I asked her.

She brought her hand down from her chin.

"Of course," she said. "I must know if you are worthy to be my champion."

The last word echoed in my head.

"Champion?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

She stood tall and proud. Her form represented that of a pose that was perfect for a painting.

"You will lead our kind back to divinity. You will ascend. You are my Godwoken."

 _Divinity? Ascend? Godwoken?_

I looked at her again. I imagined my face looked like that of a bamboozled child.

"I… don't understand…"

She smiled.

"Let me show you."

She brought up her hands again. Her eyes glowed brighter as a stream of almost liquid energy swirled around her arms down to her hands. The energy flowed from her fingers into the air. It closed the distance and poured into my chest. I felt it fill my body, like a goblet being filled with the most luxurious wine. It filled me more and more until it reached the top of my head and the tips of my toes. I looked at my hands, feeling the energy that brewed in them. It was the most amazing feeling I've felt in my whole life. It felt…perfect.

I looked at Zorl-Stissa again. She smiled seeing me in a blissful state.

"I have unlocked a great power within you," she said. "One only those like you can wield."

I looked at my hands again. "What is this?"

"I have blessed the very water beneath your feet. Now with your control of source, you may wield that power for yourself."

Hearing this gave me a sense of wonder. Before, when I practiced with my source powers, I could cast stronger spells on training dummies and create a dome of protection from arrows or spells thrown at me. But this… this was something else. I felt I could not only heal the gravest of wounds but cure the sadness out of anyone. When the wonder dissipated and I was able to focus, I looked at Zorl-Stissa again.

"Why are you giving this to me?" I asked.

"You will need this if you are to accomplish the task I lay before you."

 _Task?_

"What do you need me to do?" I asked.

She slowly approached me, putting her soothing hands onto my shoulders. She looked deep into my eyes.

"Over time I will ask much of you, my champion. But for now, I ask little more than what you know in your heart must be done."

Her eyes emphasized the importance of what she was going to say next.

"Escape this place. Escape the grasp of those who would harm you. You matter - you above all others. Even those you may love."

She was really emphasizing that I was to live. It suddenly made me remember what happened two nights ago.

"So, it was you," I said. "You saved me from drowning in the sea after the monster attacked the prison ship."

The goddess nodded her head.

"But why?" I asked. "Why me? I'm just a scholar of the House of Law. I'm very inexperienced."

She let go of my shoulders and took a step back.

"Capability is learnt. So too experience. What I need is not the wisdom of experience, but the fire of potential. This I see within you, above all my many children. I hope I am not wrong."

There was a pause between us allowing me to ponder what was happening right now. Then a thought crossed my mind.

"But what of the other gods?" I asked. "Where are they?"

The Goddess looked back at the cavern over the edge of the cliff. She beckoned me to follow her. I did so. We stood at the edge to see what was happening below. I saw six other figures who were embroiled in a chaotic battle.

"A new era is upon us, child," Zorl-Stissa said. "Not only does man battle man, but god battles god as well. They who prevail will set the new order. We cannot fall to the bottom."

She peeled her eyes away from the battle and looked over at me. I did the same.

"The others are seeking champions of their own. I have seen the company you travel with. They, along with many others that have crossed your path, may be aligned to the very powers who would see us destroyed."

Hearing Zorl-Stissa saying this made me feel even more uncertain. The gods were at war with each other. They were all looking for avatars to carry out their will. But if that were true, did that mean my friends were champions of other gods too? Were they potential threats? Was she suggesting what I thought she was? If so, it was unthinkable.

"Are you saying you want me to kill my friends?"

The goddess crossed her arms.

"The choice is up to you. Kill them now. Use them to your benefit. Leave them and journey alone. Or convince them to stand aside. It matters not. Only that you be the one to complete the journey before anyone else."

I suddenly felt my body shutter. I clutched my chest. It felt like something was pulling me. Zorl-Stissa spoke to me one last time.

"I have chosen you as my champion. I believe in you. If you choose to undertake this journey, I have faith you will succeed. You will protect us. I know it."

* * *

I gasped. The air that filled my lungs brought my senses back. I looked back to see I was back in the Tower of Braccus Rex with the other three gasping too. Not only that, they wore faces that showed the same amount of bewilderment as I did.

"Did it happen to you too?" Ifan asked us.

My mind raced remembering what just happened.

"I spoke to Zorl-Stissa herself," I said. "She told me I was her chosen, to lead the Lizards back to divinity."

"That's amusing," the Red Prince said. Everyone turned their heads to him.

"How?" I asked him.

"Because I had the exact same conversation myself."

Zorl-Stissa spoke to him too?

"How's that possible?" I asked. The Red Prince looked just as bamboozled as I did.

"If you ask me," Sebille said. "She must be considering one of you to be backup."

The tone of her voice suggested she didn't have much of an enlightening experience as I did.

"Did you meet your god too, Sebille?" I asked.

She sighed and looked away. She wandered over to one of the nearby pillars and leaned against it. She stared at the floor, thinking about what she had seen.

"Indeed," she said still staring at the floor. "I've had the pleasure of conversing with the great Tir-Cendelius."

She pushed herself off the pillar and looked back at me.

"Of course, when I say pleasure," she walked back to us. "I mean the distinct dishonor."

 _Uh-oh_

"What happened?" I asked.

"What always happens," she looked at the Red Prince and Ifan then back to me. "I'd rather not talk about it."

It probably wasn't the best time either way.

"Okay," I said. "But if you change your mind later…"

Sebille gave a small grin in the corner of her mouth.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said.

I looked over at Ifan.

"Did you meet Rhalic?" I asked him.

He filled his cheeks with air before blowing it out of his mouth.

"I did indeed speak to the god of the humans," he said. "A god I don't believe in told me things about myself I don't believe. Yeah."

He adjusted himself and took a firm stance.

"Regardless, we should focus on the here and now. We can talk about all of this later."

Ifan's words brought me back to our situation. I looked over at the lever and the three undead who looked flabbergasted. I imagined we looked like a bunch of nut jobs speaking nonsense. Then I remembered something. I looked down at my hands. I felt my entire body was filled with something. It was source. Fresh source that filled me with a sense of fruitful power.

Without a collar, I could feel it flow freely. I was able to let it out of my body. I remembered what Zorl-Stissa had given to me. I focused my mind and I felt the source surge through my body. It flowed from my chest up to my hands. They both glowed with the same radiating light Zorl-Stissa did in the Hall of Echoes. I looked over at the others. They looked at their own hands and sure enough, they glowed the same way.

"I think we have found a solution to the problem we've stumbled across."

I walked past the three undead who only watched me as they bickered to one another. I stopped at the lever and looked at it. I closed my eyes and held out my hand just inches away from the lever. I could feel the radiant, toxic aura the curse gave off. If I touched the lever, I had an idea of how this curse would ravage my body.

But as the source in my body flowed back to my hands, I felt the intoxicating aura subside. I focused the source more until I felt an amount of it leave my body. I opened my eyes. I saw a light emerge from the base of the lever and slowly creep up the metal. It looked as if the light was peeling away the darkness of the curse, leaving it to evaporate harmlessly into the air. Eventually, it reached the top, leaving no trace of darkness behind.

I reached out and touched the bare metal of the lever. The undead's jaws hung open, almost to the point where they would fall from their faces. I pulled the lever. It clicked and I felt a part of the room rumble. I let go and looked at the translucent wall. Slowly at first, the wall faded away leaving us with an open archway to a set of spiral stairs that descended into the earth below.

The other three came to my side and we looked at each other.

"It seems the gods have given us the keys to our freedom," I said.

"Indeed, they have," Ifan said. He bowed and gestured his hand to the stairs. "After you."

I nodded my head and, shooting a smile at everyone else, took a step to the archway.

"Wait!" I heard the undead human shout. We stopped and turned to her.

"You've actually accessed the vault," she said in an awestruck voice.

"Yes, I did," I said. "What of it?"

"That means you can go into the vault and destroy our soul jars," she showed an unreal sense of exactment. I raised my brows.

"Destroy them?"

"Yes. If you destroy them, we'll be free. Our souls will no longer be held here. We'll be able to pass on to the Hall of Echoes."

"Oh…" the lizard skeleton sighed and looked up to one of the holes in the ceiling. "To embrace death. I had all but given up hope that it could ever happen."

"Please do this for us. We would be eternally grateful." The dwarf undead said.

I looked down the stairway that lead to the vault. Gratiana told me that she would be able to heal the injured at the camp if I gave her the soul jars. But these poor souls wanted me to destroy the jars. I had a feeling Gratiana was hiding some details. Perhaps I was about to find out once I headed inside and saw it for myself.

"I'll see what I can do," I said. "First I've got to get passed the traps you've set up for us."

"Of course," the human undead said. "We would gladly join you to disarm them ourselves, but our curse prevents us from leaving this tower. But if you were able to get past the cursed lever, you'll no doubt be able to get past our traps."

"Well do you have any advice about what to expect?" I asked them.

"Just remember that not everything is what it seems down there," the lizard undead said. "There are illusions that can lead to messy results."

"We'll keep that in mind," I said. "Thank you."

"We graciously await our deaths," the human skeleton bowed her clanking body and waved to the other two to leave us be. They walked through the door and around the corner to the table. We assembled together and went down the stairs.

* * *

 **Author's note:** This was going to be longer, but it turned out to be too much for one chapter. So, I broke the second half into the next chapter. That'll be up later this week. As usual, a review goes a long way. Thank you for reading and see you next chapter.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The stairs twisted downward. Eventually, the stone walls decayed enough to the point it opened to a cave with an underground river running through it. In the center were the ruins of a building. The vault must have had an elaborate set up of hallways filled with the traps the three undead set up. Now, our way directly into it was blocked off by a giant boulder.

"We should split up and look for a way around," Ifan said. The rest of us nodded.

We split up and looked around. Eventually, I came across wall with an open doorway to the left of the boulder. Before I could reach the doorway, something appeared in the corner of my eye. I jumped and drew my wand. The thing that appeared was another undead skeleton. This time it was a male human wearing leather armor and a tunic. He didn't draw a weapon on me. Instead he called over to me in a rather irritating voice.

"Hey! Hey you! Lemme see what you've got under there. Go on, show me your… tits!"

I had my persona on when I sighed and lowered my wand to my side.

"Well that'll be difficult considering I don't have any," I said in a rather bored voice.

"Then… why don't you show me anyway? I'd like to see what's there instead." he said. I rolled my eyes.

"Look, we're looking for the vault to find a purging wand. Do you mind telling us how to get to it? We'd really appreciate your help."

The skeleton looked at me blankly until he replied; "How awkward. See the thing is…" He paused and looked around. "Just stop. This place is off limits!"

He didn't raise a weapon to me. I assumed he was all bark and no bite.

"Well, since you won't help me, I'll just be off," I turned my back on him.

"Until next time," I heard him say. I then heard a poof and when I looked back, he was gone. The others had met up with me just as the skeleton disappeared.

"What was that noise?" Ifan asked.

"It was another undead," I said. "He appeared out of nowhere, but he just tried to annoy me. Might be one of those illusions."

"Maybe," Ifan said. "So, did you find a way around the debris?"

"I think I might have," I pointed to the doorway. "Let's check this way."

We walked through the doorway to find a broken bridge that used to stick out over a river. We wouldn't be able to get over the river that way. However, remembering that the undead showed up, it did give me a hunch.

"Perhaps…"

I kneeled and grabbed a handful of pebbles. I tossed them over the river and instead of plopping into the water, the little rocks landed onto a surface above it.

"An invisible bridge," I said. I looked over at the others.

"Clever," the Red Prince said. Clever for me or clever for the builders? It didn't matter.

I went first and put my foot out. I found my footing on the bridge and put my other foot on. I slowly crossed the unseen path and the others did the same after me. Once across, we leapt off onto the cave floor on the other side. We saw a path in the cave that looked to curve around back to the other side of the ruins. We followed it. We got halfway around before we came across a wide opening in the cave floor. There, we met a familiar face.

"Didn't I tell you to leave?" the skeleton appeared atop of a boulder in the center. "Wasn't I clear that you're not welcome here?"

"And wasn't I clear we are in need of a purging wand?" I shot back at him.

"You can't teach a fool anything..." He sighed. Just then, two more skeletons appeared on elevated ledges behind us. The one on the left ledge drew his wand and the one the right drew his bow. The one on the boulder jumped down with his sword drawn. We drew our weapons and Ifan shouted; "Prince, Sebille front! Mahalia, left!"

I locked onto my target behind on the left ledge. The Red Prince and Sebille charged forward while I leapt to the right wall and Ifan leapt to the left wall. I had dodged an arrow from the archer and Ifan evaded the mage's ice attack. I took aim and shot a quick ball of lightening that hit the archer square in the head. I saw Ifan launch his arrow in the corner of my eye but didn't see if it hit his target. I brought my hands up and muttered the spell. Three wades of hail appeared above and dropped on top of the archer one by one. Instead of crumbling down into a pile of frozen bones, he just disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I brought my gaze to Ifan who had loaded a new arrow into this crossbow and launched it. I ran out and turned to see the skeleton mage with an arm fallen off and the other arrow in his empty eye socket. I swung my arm back, muttered my lightening spell and launched it right into the mage's chest. The skeleton jerked erratically from the electricity surging through his bones before he too disappeared into smoke.

We turned to the Red Prince and Sebille's engagement. It turned out the two-on-one battle went as you'd expect. The Red Prince put on the finishing touch taking off the skeleton's head. And like the others, the skeleton disappeared with a poof. A large golden chest then appeared on top the boulder. We all looked up at it.

"Ah," the Red Prince said. "A reward for taking care of the cave's nuisance."

"Wait!" I shouted. No one moved. I pulled my wand back and threw another lightening ball right at the chest. As I suspected, the chest disappeared into a burst of flames.

"Everything isn't what it seems," I said. That must have been one of the traps the three undead designed.

"Smart girl," Sebille said.

We all put our weapons away. We took a breath and continued down the path that hooked back to the ruins. We arrived at another open doorway that seemed to lead into a room. Just as we were about to enter the doorway, a rat walked out and stopped right in the middle of it. We looked down at it and it looked up to us.

"Do you suppose it's another illusion?" Sebille asked.

"Only one way to find out," Ifan walked forward and kneeled before the rat.

"Hey there fella," Ifan said. "You hungry?"

The rat clicked its teeth together and hopped three times. Ifan chuckled and reached into his pocket. He produced a small piece of bread and placed it on the floor. The rat came over and immediately dug into it. After eating its fill, the rat gave a sequence of squeaks. Ifan raised his eyebrows.

"What riddle?"

The rat squeaked some more until it scurried off to a small hole in the rocks. Ifan stood up and looked at us.

"What'd he say?" I asked.

"He asked if I wanted to know what the riddle meant. He said it has to do with the letters."

"What riddle?" the Red Prince asked.

"It must be the test to enter the vault," I said. "A riddle that has to do with the letters. Hm…"

I pondered for a moment. I looked in the room.

"Better go in to figure out what the riddle is," I went first through the doorway and the others followed. We found ourselves in a pristine room complete with decretive swords and paintings on the walls. There were four doors and in the center was a statue of an armored human.

"I don't see how a riddle will help us here," the Red Prince.

"Perhaps it's written somewhere," I approached the statue and looked at the base of it. Perhaps there was an inscription or something there. But I jumped when a voice suddenly boomed above me.

"You come to find. You come to search."

I looked up to see it was the statue who was speaking to me through the faceplate of the helmet.

"But you won't find the way. A pity."

I raised my eyebrow.

"Are you the one who asks the riddle?" I asked him.

"I am the one to ask the questions, not answer them!" the statue boomed again. "Do you wish to go forward?"

We all exchanged glances with each other. This statue was straight and to the point.

"Yes, of course we do," I said.

"Listen closely and make your attempt," The statue commenced the riddle. "Braccus is a bloody, rotten, thieving, very, very awful fellow. Some even call him a cur! A cur is..."

 _A cur? Braccus is a bloody, rotten, thieving, very, very awful fellow. The Letters. What does it mean?_

I started to pace the room thinking about what the riddle meant.

 _Letters. B-R-A-C-C-U-S. Bloody, rotten, thieving, very, very…_

I snapped my fingers.

"A cur is very awful and rotten!"

That statue was silent for a moment but then spoke again.

"Perhaps you are not totally incapable after all," Just then, one of the four doors opened.

"The path is opened. Go freely."

The statue fell silent. Everyone then looked at me.

"How'd you know?" the Red Prince asked me.

I put up my fingers to mark the letters.

"B-R-A-C-C-U-S."

Then I marked them again with the words.

"Bloody, rotten, thieving, very, very, awful, fellow,"

Then I put my fingers down except for the ones that represented C, U and R.

"A cur is very, awful and rotten."

I put my hands down.

"The letters."

Sebille and Ifan were impressed, so too was the Prince.

"I probably wouldn't be able to figure that one out," Ifan said.

"Well," I responded. "I wouldn't have known the trick to the riddle if you weren't a fauna tongue."

"I suppose so," Ifan said. He looked at the open doorway. "Anyway, onwards?"

I nodded. We walked through the door and followed a straight hallway. It led to a completely open cavern where several stone bridges used to be. All around were scattered pillars holding up separated bridge sections. It must have been another one of those invisible bridge scenarios. Though the scattered sections of bridges gave me an unsettling feeling it was an elaborate maze. One false step, and it would be a long way down to the sharp rocks below. At the corner of the other side was a flight of stairs leading into the cave wall. The vault must have been through there.

"Should we do this one at a time?" Sebille asked. "Follow the leader one-by-one?"

"It could work," I said. "Although…"

Everyone looked at me.

"You have another idea?" the Red Prince asked.

"It's worth a try," I said. "Stand back."

They did so and I took my stance. I spoke the words and raised my hands above. A serge and energy shook the air above. Clouds formed on the cave ceiling and it started to rain. The droplets fell and landed on top of the invisible bridges. A thin layer of water formed showing the maze of bridges that lead to the other side.

"Smart thinking," Ifan said.

"Thanks," I said. "Better take it slow. It'll be slippery."

I went first. Slowly, I put one talon in front of the other and the others followed single file. We were about halfway through the maze when the worst possible thing happened.

"Open your eyes. Time to die!"

The undead appeared again on one of the intact bridges. With a wave of his hands, three other undead appeared on the other stone bridges around us. We were surrounded. The archer and mage we saw before launched their attacks at us. I sprung into action and quickly channeled the source within me. I shot my arms out and a dome of protection emerged just in time to stop the projectiles. We drew our weapons and bunched together. We looked around to see a fourth skeleton with dual daggers leap from his place and land onto the soaked bridge just outside of the dome. The dome wouldn't be able to stop opponents from entering and exiting the circle. Luckily, Ifan had already formulated a plan.

"Sebille, Prince, take him first," he shot his arm at the approaching rouge. "Then give her a shield boost to there." He shot his hand to the archer positioned slightly above to the rouge's left. He turned and pointed to the original undead.

"Mahilia, ice him."

He pointed to the mage on the stone bridge to the right.

"Then help me double team him."

"Got it," I took my stance. The dome disappeared. The Red Prince and Sebille charged at the rouge. The Red Prince swung his sword. But the sword didn't hit its target. The rouge instead disappeared and reappeared behind the Red Prince. But before the skeleton could backstab the venerable lizard, Sebille put her own knives into the undead's back. The Red Prince turned around to see the rouge but then looked at the archer. He raised his shield just in time to deflect the arrow shot at him. The undead rouge rapidly swung his knives at Sebille, leaving her to dodge and block all the attacks thrown at her. Sebille then parried the undead into a gridlock.

The Red Prince took his opening and swung his sword horizontally. The sword slashed through the rouge's spinal column, cutting the skeleton clean in half before disappearing into a puff of smoke.

Meanwhile, I brought my arms up and brought down a barrage of hail on top of the sword skeleton. Ifan fired his arrow into the mage's arm, separating it from his body like last time. Also, like last time, I cast the same lightning spell into its chest. It jolted and disappeared.

The Red Prince and Sebille turned their attention to the archer. The archer launched an arrow at Sebille. The Red Prince stepped in and blocked the arrow with his shield. Sebille gave the Red Prince a tap on the shoulder. He gave a quick glance and nodded. He kneeled and Sebille leapt on top of the Red Prince's shield. With all his might, the Red Prince pushed himself up and launched Sebille into the air. The Archer tried to aim his newly loaded crossbow at her, but he was already too late.

Ifan and I looked over to the swordsman. Unfortunately, the ice spell I put on him didn't slow him down enough. He leapt from his spot and was charging right at me. I didn't have anywhere to evade. I started to panic. But then I heard someone say: "Duck!"

I did so and looked back. I saw a white blur wiz over me and collide with the skeleton, forcing him down onto his back. I stood up and saw it was a white wolf who wrestled with the skeleton. It grabbed ahold of the bony arm of the skeleton with its teeth. The skeleton shoved the wolf off of him, but the wolf managed to pull the arm off.

"I've got this!" Red Prince ran right past us and slammed himself against the undead just as it stood up. The skeleton was launched off the edge and into the pit. Unfortunately, the Red Prince was a little too fast. He found himself teetering over the edge. Ifan and I managed to get to him in time and pull him back. The Red Prince landed on his bottom. He looked up at us with an irritated face.

"Couldn't you have grabbed me by the arm instead?" the Red Prince rubbed his tail in his lap. "That really hurt."

"Sorry," Ifan said. "We would have been too late if we hadn't grabbed your tail."

The Red Prince sighed and got to his feet. Sebille rejoined us having taken care of the last undead herself. The wolf then stood up and pranced over to us. I looked at the wolf's cheery face and noticed its eyes were the same color as Ifan's. Forest green.

"Is this your soul wolf?" I asked Ifan.

"He is," Ifan said and formally presented his pet to us. "I'd like you to meet Afrit."

The wolf yipped and panted as he strode over to me. I reached down and gently petted him on the head. He accepted it graciously.

"Thank you for saving me there," I told the wolf. Afrit yipped happily. He walked over to Sebille and she gave him a pet too. But when it was the Red Prince's turn, Afrit just growled and turned away. The Red Prince snorted and crossed his arms. Ifan only shrugged. Afrit then looked up at Ifan. Afrit then howled and dissolved into a flash of light that flowed into Ifan's chest.

"Thanks for having my back there," I said to Ifan. "If it weren't for you and Afrit, I would have been seriously hurt or even dead."

"You covered my back before, so why wouldn't I return the favor?" He said.

"Good point," I looked at the remaining bridges we needed to cross. "Hopefully this'll be the last surprise."

We continued navigating the bridges until we finally made it to the stairway. We climbed the stairs to find another archway. We walked through it. With no other surprises, we found ourselves inside the vault.

"That's…plenty."

In the middle of the room was a large pile of gold coins. Far too big to carry everything in our bags combined. But the more interesting parts laid on the pedestals around the room. On five of them, there were gray jars with a surging energy coming from within them. Those must have been the soul jars. On the sixth, there lay a single wand.

I immediately went over to the wand. It was indeed the purging wand like the one High Judge showed me back at the fort. I took a hold of it and felt the energy it held. The key to getting off the island was now in my possession. I put the wand into the vacant wand holster on my left hip.

Then I approached the nearest soul jar. But before I could get close enough, a familiar poof appeared next to me. I reached for my own wand on my right hip. But instead of a quick line before he tried to kill me, the skeleton instead was on one knee and looking up at me.

"You..." he spoke in a very different tone than he did. I could hear he was exhausted. Not physically, but emotionally. "You made it all this way..."

The others came to me, but I signaled them to hold off. I looked at the inscription on the rim of the jar. It read a name: Trompdoy.

"You must be Trompdoy," I said. "I suppose you were cursed by Braccus Rex like the other undead up the stairs?"

Trompdoy looked up at me. His eye sockets were empty, but I could see traces of sadness and regrets lingering within him.

"It's the Source King's way. Befriend you, then destroy you. I was a fool to expect I'd be an exception. His favor was... Intoxicating. That's no excuse, but it is the reason."

Hearing him this bluntly gave me a peek into what happened to him. It also gave me an idea of what happened to the three undead in the tower. I looked at the soul jar again.

"We made a promise to destroy the soul jars for the undead in the tower. Do you want us to destroy yours too?"

Trompdoy looked up suddenly. I could read he was rejuvenated with hope.

"You would do that for me?"

I nodded.

"No one should suffer like this," I said.

"Oh yes. Yes!" He dropped his second knee onto the ground and groveled before me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Trompdoy stood up and suddenly reached into his pockets.

"I'd like to give you something in return."

He reached into his cloak and pulled out four small bags.

"Use these to carry all of the riches you come across. You don't need to worry about space."

I accepted the bags and looked inside one of them. The inside looked larger than it did on the outside. My eyes widened.

"Magic coin purses," I said. We'd be able to take all the gold here with us. "Thank you."

"No, it is I who must thank you," he glanced over at the soul jar then back at me. I nodded my head to him. First, I handed the coin purses to my companions. Then I stood before the soul jar. Slowly, I took ahold of it and lifted it off the pedestal. I could feel the swirling energy residing within the jar. I looked down at the floor then at Trompdoy. He gently nodded his head. I took a breath and raised my hands. I threw the jar down onto the stone floor. It shattered into thousands of pieces and a swirling ball of energy emerged. In the corner of my eye, I saw Trompdoy suddenly collapse into a pile of bones. The ball then morphed into the form of a human man.

"Thank you," he said. He looked up. "The Hall of Echoes awaits."

His soul then faded away into nothing. Although I had technically killed someone, I didn't feel any regret about it. Knowing his soul was free from a curse, I didn't feel bad. I looked over at the others.

"Aren't you concerned that we might have prevented Gratiana's plan to heal the sick by destroying that jar?" Sebille asked.

I looked over at the other jars on the pedestals. I had another hunch.

"I don't think so," I said. "Take a look at the names on the other jars."

Everyone went to the jar nearest to them. The one I walked to read Rask on the outside.

"You should see this," the Red Prince called to us. We went over to his jar and looked at the name on it. I read it aloud.

"Gratiana."

We all looked at each other.

"What does this mean," Sebille asked.

"It means Gratiana has some explaining to do," Ifan said. "But the question is, what do we do with the rest of the jars?"

I looked over at the three remaining jars in the room.

"I think we should destroy the other jars to honor the undead up the stairs. But we should take this jar with us to give to Gratiana. I imagine it's what she wanted all along."

"Sounds reasonable," Ifan said. "But we should get some answers from her in exchange for it."

The other two nodded and I did too.

"Okay," I said. "Let's do this."

The others went over to the three remaining jars while I gently took ahold of Gratiana's jar and put it into my backpack. Ifan, Sebille and the Red Prince took ahold of the remaining jars and, in unison, threw them onto the floor. All three jars shattered like glass and the souls of a human, lizard and dwarf emerged from them. They all gave their thanks to us and faded into the air. Once that was finished, the Red Prince held out his magic coin purse and eyed the pile of gold.

"Shall we?" He said.

"We're going to need coin to get by once we get off the island," Ifan said. "Each of us should take a share."

We surrounded the pile of gold and took turns taking handfuls of coin and stuffing them into our purses. This continued until the pile was gone and the last few stray coins were divided between us.

"Now, how exactly do we get out of here?" Sebille asked.

I looked behind me to see another doorway leading out of the room. We walked through it to find ourselves in a smaller room with a lever in the middle of it. Knowing the dangers of the previous lever, I slowly reached out to it. I didn't feel anything that resembled the previous curse, so I took a hold of the lever. I pulled it and with a loud click, the wall in front of us slide open. We stepped through to find ourselves back at the beginning of the cave right next to the boulder that blocked the original entrance. We saw the staircase leading back up to the tower.

"Onwards and upwards," Ifan said. We walked up the spiraled stairs to find ourselves back in the tower of Braccus Rex. We walked across the room and passed through the door the entrance hall. We looked to the left where the table was. As expected, the three skeletons were replaced with three piles of bones. They were free. It felt good knowing their souls wouldn't have to suffer any longer. We walked up the spiral staircase and emerged into the blinding sunlight of the end of labyrinth. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring again. I held it up to the gargoyle.

"I'm finished here," I said. "If you would be so kind to escort me out, I'd apricate it."

Faster than expected, we found ourselves teleported outside to the entrance of the manor.

"Return home soon master," the gargoyle above the gate said and returned to its regular position.

We looked at each other.

"I guess that's that," Sebille said. "We got what we came for so all we need to do is go back and give the things to the right people."

"Sounds like a plan," I said. The others nodded.

"But the question is," Sebille looked down at the ring in my hand. "What should we do with that?

I looked down at the ring. I still felt the lingering cold pain in my hand and the whisper in my ear to put it on.

"No one will be needing this anymore," I said. I walked over to the nearby cliff and looked at the ring one last time. With all my strength, I swung my arm back and threw the ring as hard as I could. I watched as the ring traveled through the air and slowly descend into the forest below. But I didn't see where it landed because something else caught my eye.

In the distance on the beachhead was something. Something I had never believed I would ever see with my own two eyes. I was frozen. The others came to my side and looked where I was looking. They froze too.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" I asked. "Or did that ring have an extra curse that gives hallucinations?"

"You're not hallucinating," Ifan said. "I see it too."

"So do I," the Red Prince said.

"Me too," Sebille said.

We stared at it for some time before I quickly turned around and started running down the hill.

"We need to get down there right now."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Yeah, totally original idea of having a magic bag to hold everything you need that wasn't used first in a movie where a human witch and her two wizard best friends search a magical world to find seven cursed objects to destroy. :P

Also, I know this was a longer chapter than usual, but I needed that little cliffhanger at the end. Can any of you guess what's coming next? 😊

As always, a review helps and thank you for reading. See you next chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The sand on the beach was accompanied by patches of ice. The sun beat down on the land in its summer blaze, but the air blew gentle gusts of snow around the beach. Even though I could feel the cold draining the energy from my coldblooded veins, my desire to reach the center kept me going. Step by step, I made it through to find myself standing before what lay in the middle of the ice and snow.

A dragon.

A white dragon who laid asleep on a flat rock. Being in the mere presence of this creature gave me immeasurable feelings of awe, excitement and fascination. But it also gave so much sadness at the same time. That sadness came from the sight of the dragon's mouth bound together by enchanted chains. The chains were attached to two pillars flanking its head. The others caught up with me. I'd run so fast in my excitement I'd nearly left them behind. They stood next to me in silence looking at the magnificent creature trapped like this. It breathed slowly. I could feel the dragon was weak and sick. It filled me with so much pity. I couldn't bare to see it like this.

"We have to set it free!" I said. Everyone looked at me.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sebille asked. "It could be hungry for its first meal in years."

"Well if we free it, maybe it'll thank us by not eating us," I said.

"I'm for it," the Red Prince said. We all looked at him.

"What?" the Red Prince asked. "Dragons are the pinnacles of creation. Far greater than what any of us lizards could ever hope to be. It isn't proper for this creature to be imprisoned like this."

I too was surprised by the Prince's response. Though, it did make sense because many lizards in the Empire had an admiration for dragons.

"Okay, I'll destroy the left pillar and you take the right," I said.

The Red Prince nodded. We went up to the pillars. The pillars were covered in unreadable glyphs and I could feel a throbbing energy inside of it. The chains must have been pulling the energy from the dragon into the pillars to keep it from moving.

I saw the Red Prince draw his sword and I drew my wand. I readied myself and unloaded my lightning spell right into it just as the Red Prince swung his sword. Both of our attacks caused the pillars to crumble to the ground. The chains coming out of the pillars then broke apart and vanished.

I found myself knocked off my feet when the earth around me rattled. I felt myself roll and slide down a patch of ice before I felt a pair of hands stop me. I looked up to see Ifan's face. Then I looked up to see the dragon had woken up. It moved erratically, roaring from the discomfort of its stiff body. But it soon settled down and curled its neck down into its front claws. I got to my feet and I saw the Red Prince did so too.

"Okay," Sebille came over to me. "We freed it. We should leave now."

"Wait," I said. "Something's still wrong."

I slowly approached the dragon. I could see the dragon was still unwell. When I was close enough, I saw it open its eyes. I froze. It slowly lifted its head and fixed its intense gaze on me. Its eyes were the color of a piercing silver. But those eyes were also covered by frozen tears. I could see it was relieved to have the chains lifted, but the relief was gone and replaced with despair.

"My gratitude for your efforts, friend," the dragon spoke with a deep but gentle voice that moved through me. It shook my heart and caused a shortness of breath in my chest. The dragon then closed his eyes and dipped his head.

"Yet, I am no more free now than I was in those chains."

I stumbled to say anything to him. I was talking to a dragon. An actual dragon.

"W-what do you mean?"

The dragon lifted his head and looked down at me. His voice was filled with despair and regret as he told me of his trouble.

"My soul is bound to joyless obedience. Purged of my source by the wickedest of witches, Redeka. I stand in thrall to her every whim. She has only to command, and my traitorous body complies. Only my voice remains my own."

The dragon moved his gaze to the distant sea past the snowy gusts surrounding us.

"How foolish I was to have loved her. Now I am her slave. I can feel her dark heart beating within my own. I would prefer to welcome death than the sight of her face again."

He then looked at me with an inquisitive gaze.

"But of course, that must be why you stand before me. Slane called to Lady Death, and here you are. A coincidence?"

Slane was his name. But hearing him say he wanted to die appalled me.

"No, it… it is a coincidence. We came across you by accident and we decided to free you."

Slane's eyes narrowed at me. He looked down again.

"My fate, it seems, is not my own to call," his voice sounded defeated.

The sadness in this dragon was becoming unbearable. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Where is Redeka?" I asked him. Slane looked up at me.

"Why do you ask?" he asked.

"You said Redeka had purged your source and controls you. If you tell me where she is, we could find her and free you that way. Where is she?"

Slane's eyes widened in surprised.

"That you would even ask such a question of a stranger already in your debt!"

Slane lowered his head to my level. His snout was only a few feet away from me. His piercing silver eyes peered into my own.

"There is much goodness within you, but this task would not be easy. Radeka is a canny one, cat to your mouse."

I took a quick glance at my companions before I returned my gaze to Slane.

"The four of us have experience. We even battled a witch last evening. If we were able to defeat her, I believe we have more than a chance against Radeka."

Slane looked at me with amazement. I could see a small grin at the corners of his mouth. The only reason it wasn't larger was because of his pain.

"You truly have the courage of a protector," he said. He lifted his head up and looked to the rock wall that ran alongside the beach. "Redeka has trekked far underground in a nearby cave, seeking ingredients for her vile potions."

He looked at me one last time.

"If you truly wish to free me, you must retrieve her purging wand and give it to me."

Another purging wand. Those seemed rather popular on this island.

"Okay," I said. "We'll be back with the wand. I promise."

Slane blinked his eyes.

"I do hope you succeed. For your sake and my own."

He then lowered his head onto the stone and rested his weak body. I turned away and walked over to the others.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Ifan said.

"What? Is the lone wolf afraid of hunting a vile witch to free a dragon?" I asked.

"No, of course not," Ifan said. "I'm just surprised you've chosen to risk your life for this when we have what we need to get off of the island."

I looked back at Slane resting on the rock.

"I just… I can't leave a poor dragon like this. Especially since it's the first real dragon I've seen in my life."

Ifan only grinned. "Well then, you're lucky you have a partner who has your back. Count me in."

I looked over at Sebille and the Red Prince.

"I find it rather befuddling that a magnificent creature would fall to the influence of a human, more so than falling in love with one. But regardless, I'll accept the challenge to see this creature be freed."

Sebille sighed before she answered.

"I find it unnecessary to undertake a task like this when we can just leave now. But we've made an agreement to aid each other in our endeavors. This one is yours. I'll help."

"Thank you, Sebille," I said with a nod. With the group behind me, I walked out of the gusty circle of ice and snow and back to the hot sands with the unhindered sun warming my coldblooded veins. It filled me with unfathomable amounts of confidence. I could feel it in my heart. I needed to succeed in this. Slane needed to be free.

We followed the beachside until we came across the cave Slane had spoken of. We went up to the entrance and peered in. We couldn't hear anything from the crashing waves behind us. I looked at the others by my side. No turning back. I took a deep breath and started the journey into the darkness.

The cave twisted and turned. But before the light from the outside faded, we saw a dark red glow lining the cave walls. It was also accompanied by sounds of crackling plants and squishy mush. Then a wave of stench so powerful blew over us and stopped us in our tracks. I looked back seeing the others coughing from the smell.

"Having second thoughts about this?" Sebille asked.

"Some regrets," I said gaging on the smell. "But not enough to stop me."

I needed to free Slane. I needed to.

I continued in front and turned the corner to find a rather peculiar scene. We found ourselves in an open chamber that was lined with black and red colored plants. I noticed some of the plants here. Blood roses. A rather rare and exotic plant that had extraordinary healing capabilities. But the thing was, blood roses didn't grow with water, they grew with blood.

It was then I realized the cave was littered with the decay of corpses. Some fresh and some ancient. The stench from before had grown so strong that my eyes started to water, and my scales became drenched in the humid air. My stomach lurched having the sting of the stench be so hard that I could taste it myself.

In the middle of this horrid scene, kneeling before a batch of black and red flowers, was a human woman who wore a scanty black robe. Redeka. Her features gave off what humans would find to be attractive. The only thing that prevented this was the stench around her. She noticed our presence and stood up, showing her rather exposed body to us. She looked at us with a rather seductive smile.

"I'm sorry dears," she said. She brought a hand to a bouquet of blood roses on her hip. "But I'm afraid these roses belong to me."

I mustered enough will to overcome the stench and put on my persona.

"We're not here for your roses. We're here for Slane."

Redeka's smile turned into a frown at the mention of his name.

"Oh, I do hope that little so-and-so hasn't been talking. Those chains were in place for a reason…"

 _Enslaving the dragon and then silencing him. How cruel._

"Please," I said. "If you would just give us the purging wand, we'll be on our way and we won't bother you again."

Her gaze moved directly at me. Her eyes and her smile gave me an unsettling feeling.

"How earnest you are," she took a step towards me. Her eyes were locked in a rather obsessive gaze. "I do love that in a woman…"

Suddenly, I heard movement behind me. I looked behind to see several the corpses suddenly lurch and clumsily rise to their feet. Not only that but several large beetlelike insects appeared on the ledges above us. We were surrounded. We drew our weapons.

Unfortunately, it turned out that the corpses were a distraction. I found myself swept off my feet. My back was on the ground with my head held up by Redeka's hands. Her seductive eyes looked down into mine, almost to the point I was hypnotized by them.

"How's about you forget about dear old Slane and stay with me instead?"

She brought her hand around the edges of my mouth then brought her lips to mine. At first, her breath was that of a sweet aroma, a relief from the stench around me. It was a blissful sensation that nearly took over my entire body. But then it took horrific turn. The sweetness turned sour and I started to feel hundreds of little bugs pouring out of her mouth and into my mine. They started stinging the soft parts of my mouth and slowly crawled deeper. I started to panic. The bugs crawling deeper and deeper to the back of my throat.

But in the chaos, thoughts crossed my mind.

 _Slane. He must be free. I must succeed. I must defeat her. I must._

I started to feel a familiar burning in my chest. My mind pushed aside the pain. I had an idea. An opportunity. I was going to take it.

I brought my hands up and took ahold of Redeka's head. She opened her eyes and made a surprised sound in her mouth. I took a huge breath through my uninfected nostrils. Her eyes widened and she squealed.

The fire shot up from my lungs, through my throat and out of my mouth, incinerating all the insects that crawled in. Redeka squirmed violently but it was too late. The flames entered her mouth and consumed everything inside of her skull. I kept breathing fire until my chest longer had anything to blow out. I pulled my mouth away and gasped for air. I looked up at what remained of Redeka's face. Her eyes had been scorched into two empty cindering holes while the rest of her face was melting off from the fire still burning inside her head. I moved her limp body aside and quickly got to my feet. When I looked back at my companions, I saw the reanimated corpses had returned to their unanimated state on the floor.

But the beetles were still alive. I saw one of them launch a wad of caustic spit toward them. The Red Prince instinctively brought up his shield and managed to block it. But I could see the liquid started to dissolve parts of the shield. I looked at another beetle on a ledge readying its own volley of spit. But I took my stance and cast my lightning bolt into the beetle causing it to surge and fly erratically until it landed belly up with its six legs curled up. I then saw the Red Prince launch Sebille up to the ledge of the first beetle with his shield just like they did in the vault. Then I saw Ifan aim his crossbow at something behind me.

"Behind you," I heard Ifan shout. Instinctively I dove to the ground to my left just as a ball of spit whizzed past and land harmlessly on a growth of plants. I turned just in time to see the third beetle receive Ifan's arrow right in the head. The beetle thrashed around radically. I wasted no time and got to my feet. I recalled my spell and sent a volley of hail onto the creature where it froze and shattered into hundreds of pieces. Then I looked up to the edge where Sebille was launched. She had made quick work of the insect when I saw her put on the finishing touches to have the insect fall onto its belly dead. With all hostiles dead, we put our weapons away. Ifan ran over to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I looked over at Redeka's corpse, specifically her charred head.

"Had a few bugs in my throat," I started to poke around in my mouth for any trace of the bugs. Thankfully, the fire cleansed my throat clean. "But nothing a good fire breath couldn't clean up."

"It was defiantly impressive," Ifan said looking over at Redeka's corpse. "Anyway, shall we get the wand to free the dragon?"

"Of course," I said. I kneeled and searched the witch's corpse. I found it on the hip opposite of the blood rose bouquet. I plucked it up and I could feel the throbbing amount of source with it. The source to fill an entire dragon. I stood up and held it at my side.

"Come on, we all deserve some fresh air after this."

Ifan and the Red Prince nodded in agreement. But before we did left, I saw Sebille walk over to Redeka's corpse and take the bouquet of blood roses from it.

"You're taking the blood roses with us?" I asked Sebille.

"Why not?" she said. "It'll be useful when we find someone to condense it down into a potion."

"Good thinking," I said. We gathered together and made our way out of the garden of death. As we traversed through the cave back to the outside, we could feel the stench of decay subside and the clean air of sea water replace it. When we arrived at the entrance of the cave and daylight pierce my eyes, I held up my arms and inhaled sharply. Then I exhaled, removing all the tainted air from my lungs. Ifan nodded in agreement with an amused smile. We walked across the beach back to the snowy spot. Slane was right where we left him. I walked right in front of him.

"Slane," I called to him. He slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head to look at me.

"I have something for you," I held out the purging wand for him to see. His silver eyes widened. I felt his entire body move and shake the earth around me. He reached out with one of his massive claws and snatched the wand out of my hands. I flinched before I looked up to see what happened next. With the wand his claw, Slane reared back onto his hind legs with his mighty wings spread out. Source erupted out of the wand and surged up into the dragon's body. He reared his head back and let out a triumphant roar as his body glowed with a light so bright, I had to shield my eyes with my hands.

When the loud roar and the blinding light subsided, I squinted through my fingers. What I saw stunned me. I opened my eyes fully and lowered my hands. There was no dragon before me now. Instead there stood a lizard. A rather handsome lizard with scales of white with a shade of blue over them. When I looked at his eyes, they were the same piercing silver as the dragon. He was also clad in a silver colored armor that had the pattern of dragon scales along with a short cape behind him. His mouth bore a triumphant smile.

"Slane…" He said with the same low and gentle voice as the dragon, though not as intense. He brought his hand to his chest and bowed deeply before me.

"At your service."

He pulled himself up and looked at me again with his piercing silver eyes. I almost felt hypnotized by his gaze.

"You truly have the courage of a hero. Not many people would go out of their way to undertake a task such as the one you took."

"Well…" I found myself at a loss of words again. I looked over at my partners. "I had help."

Slane looked over at the lizard, elf and human.

"That you did. But from what I heard between the four of you, it was you who wanted to help me. Is that correct?"

"Uh…yes," I said. "I suppose I was the one."

Slane grinned.

"Such sincerity," he said. "Knowing such a steadfast and noble soul offers help to those in need gives me great comfort."

He paused and looked down at his side before he looked at me again.

"I'd like to offer you the same."

He reached into his pocket. He brought something out and showed it to me. It was an amulet. An amulet made of dragon scales. In the center there were three holes. One of them was filled with a glowing red gem.

"What is that?" I asked.

"A gift from the Dragon Knights," Slane said. "I have held onto this for a long time, long before I fell into the vile hands of Redeka. Today, I believe I have found the perfect soul to weld it and do immeasurable good for this world."

I gently took the amulet from Slane. I looked at it for a moment before I unwound the chain. I folded my frill in and put my head through the chain. When the amulet hung freely from my neck, I could suddenly feel the burning inside my chest again. Only this time, it felt…refined. I exhaled a small jet of flames from my mouth that dissipated harmlessly into the air. I looked at Slane again who still wore his smile.

"You have the fire of dragons within you," Slane said. "With this gift, you can hone your skills to become more powerful and defend the innocent from the cruelty of those who wish to harm them. I trust you to do all the good you can for the world with it."

Hearing him say this about me left me speechless.

"Well…" I said, "T-thank you."

"All of my thanks are yours and yours alone," he said to me.

"What will you do now?" I asked him.

He looked out to the hills of the island.

"I plan to use the freedom you gave me to the best of my ability. This island has many mysteries and horrors lurking within. I'll learn what I can and perhaps find reprieve for the souls who suffer here."

"I wish you well then, Slane," I said.

"Goodbye friend. May our paths cross again," he graciously bowed to me again. He turned and started to walk away. He took a few steps before he leapt into the air. In a flash of light, Slane's body transformed back into his dragon from. He roared and beat his massive wings, causing a whirl of ice and sand to erupt under him. He ascended to the sky, turning around and disappearing over the hills of the island. The cold air around us dissipated. The sun shone through and warmed the area around us, melting the ice and snow that didn't belong on the beach. The others came up to me looking at the spot where Slane disappeared from our view.

"The children will defiantly want to hear this tale," Ifan said.

"Most defiantly," I said.

"That was fine and all, but I personally hope we won't have to make another detour," Sebille said.

"Well, you never know," I said. Ifan pulled out the map and we set our course back to the camp to finally deliver the goods we originally set out to get.

* * *

 **Author's note:** In case you were curious, I got the inspiration for Redeka's demise from Dredd's Hot Shot.

For those of you who've played the game, I'm adding a little something for Mahalia thanks to Slane. Hopefully you'll stick around to see what it'll lead up to. 😉

As usual, a review goes a long way and thank you for reading. See you next chapter.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"You talked to the dragon?!" Trice's eyes were wider than I had ever seen them before. Paulie and Sandy's eyes were the same. When we arrived back at the camp, the children told us they saw the dragon fly above them.

"Yes. After we got the purging wand, we came across the dragon Slane. He was under the control of a vile witch. So, we defeated the witch and freed him."

I put my hand up to my new amulet. "He gave me this as a gift. Now I can control my fire breathe better."

The children looked at each other, each of them filled with so much giddiness they squealed and couldn't formulate any words.

"I really wish we were there with you," Trice said once her giddiness subsided. I smiled at them.

"As much as I would have liked to fulfill your dream of meeting a dragon, your safety is more important. I hope you understand that," I said.

"Yes, Mahalia," all three children said, looking a little down. But then Ifan walked up next to me.

"You might not have been able to meet a dragon," he said. "But I have someone who'd like to meet you."

All three children's disappointed faces disappeared. Ifan kneeled and closed his eyes. A surge of light appeared in his chest. With a howl, Afrit emerged and stood before the children. Their eyes grew wide. One by one, the children gently pet Afrit's head. Afrit moaned playfully and gave each child a big lick on the face. All five of us laughed.

"Anyway, we need to talk to Gareth," I said. "We'll be ready to get out of here soon. Just hold on a little longer."

"Okay, we'll be ready," Sandy said, and the other children agreed. I nodded. We walked through the camp to find Gareth at his tent.

"I've been hearing you've had an encounter with that dragon that flew in the sky not that long ago," he said.

"It was a small detour," I said. "We helped him out and he gave me a little gift for my trouble. Anyway, I think this'll make you feel better."

I took the purging wand from my hip and showed it to Gareth. His eyes widened. He walked over and gently took the wand from my hand. He looked at it for a moment before returning his gaze to us.

"Thank you, friend," Gareth said. But his face turned sour suddenly. "If only we were quicker and gotten to Vardus in time. Then our fallen wouldn't have died for nothing."

"Well, I don't think you'll have to believe that they died for nothing any longer."

I stood before him like I was presenting myself. Gareth looked at my precariously.

"Are you saying…?"

"We had an… encounter with the gods on our little quest to get the wand. The Red Prince and I spoke to Zorl-Stissa herself. Sebille and Ifan also spoke to their gods."

I paused.

"We're godwoken."

Gareth tilted his head. He looked at me as if he was looking through me.

"That's… yes. Yes, I can see something within you. However, we'll need to get you to Malady. She'll know for sure."

"Malady?" I tilted my head. "Who's Malady?"

"She's one of us who wasn't killed when we arrived here. She's imprisoned on the Lady Vengeance. Once we remove the shriekers from the harbor entrance, we'll grab the row boats and take the ship. We'll free her and she'll figure out if what you say is true."

"Sounds like a plan," Ifan said.

"Indeed," Gareth said. "You should take a small rest while I make preparations. We may need your help later."

I nodded my head. Gareth nodded in return and to one of the nearby tents. Then I remembered something. I looked at my backpack then at my partners. We knew what we had to do next. I took my backpack off my shoulders and pulled out the soul jar. Thankfully it wasn't damaged at all. I carried it down to the pond where Gratiana was with my partners behind me. When we were close enough, Gratiana turned her head directly to me. If she had eyes, I'd imagine they'd be bulging out of her sockets seeing me holding her soul jar. She walked through the pond and stood at the edge of the water.

"You brought it!" she said with her voice trembling. "Please give it to me!"

"Now hold on," the Red Prince stepped in between the two of us. "You'll need to answer a few questions we have."

"I'll answer whatever questions you have after you give me the jar. I promise. Please give it to me."

The Red Prince didn't move so I decided to. I stepped past the lizard and held out the jar. Gratiana hastily took the jar into her hands. She popped the lid right off and tilted the jar up over her mask as if she was going to drink whatever was in it. The surging ball of energy poured out of the jar and flowed into her through where her mouth would be. Her body then surged with a brief flash of light. She looked at us for awhile before she looked at the now empty soul jar in her hands. She dropped it to the ground and brought down her foot, shattering it into thousands of pieces. Then she kneeled and cupped her hands to scoop a handful of water out of the pond. She stood up and splashed the water onto her mask.

"I feel…" she spoke in an awestruck voice. "I feel...wet."

She reached up to the sky and shouted.

"Oh Amadia, I can feel your tears upon my face!"

"If you're quite done, we'd like to know why that jar was in the vault," the Red Prince said. Gratiana looked at us when she was pulled out of her trance.

"Of course," she said. She brought her hands together in a rather shameful manner. "Before I was welcomed into loving arms of Amadia, I was… the concubine of Braccus Rex."

I raised my brow.

"You were what?" I said.

Gratiana looked down. I could tell she had lingering regrets and bad memories that were going to be painful to share.

"I was more than his lover. I was his partner. He had uncovered the purging wands from a bygone age. I encouraged him to explore their promise. As his strength grew, so too did mine. There is nothing you cannot do when you sit on the lap of a powerful king. But power changes a man. Braccus grew mad with the power. He wanted more, and I gave him more. Villages. Beautiful lands. All consumed. Because I believed in a lie that if I gave him what he wanted, my king would come back to me."

It was jarring for me. The story she told me was about a power-hungry whore who was just as evil as the man she sold her body to. But a look at the goddess of wizards told me what happened next.

"I supposed you came to Amadia to find redemption, didn't you?"

Gratiana bent her head down. If she had eyes, I knew she'd be shedding tears.

"I found this shrine while I was hunting a band of wizards. Through Amadia, I saw my sins. And I couldn't bare it any longer. I threw myself off the cliff to rid the world of my wrongdoings. But Braccus wouldn't allow it."

"So, he cursed you and put your soul into the jar?"

"Yes. Even in death, he wanted my obedience. Only when two Source Hunters ended his curse was I free. Since then, I have returned here and spent centuries trying to heal the pain I've caused."

She looked down at the remains of her soul jar.

"Now, with my soul truly free, I can now feel what I never felt since the day Braccus cursed me. I can now truly speak to Amadia. I can gain her blessing and help those who suffer here."

She turned around and walked through the water back to her rock in the middle. She kneeled and brought her hands up. She chanted a song and before long, a glowing spot emerged in the water before her. The glow expanded and flowed through the entire pond until it all glowed like I did when I was blessed by Zorl-Stissa. I kneeled and brought my hand into the water. It was warm. The temperature perfect for a bath. It was then I noticed something. I saw a little cut on my hand I had received from our recent skirmishes. The water washed over it and closed it as if it didn't exist. When I pulled my hand out, it didn't feel wet at all. I looked at Gratiana who looked at me in return.

"The great mother welcomes all. Let her loving embrace heal your wounds."

I thought about what Gratiana told me. Of how she allowed many souls to be sacrificed to a mad king to increase her own power. But looking at what she was doing now, I couldn't muster enough anger to condemn her right now.

"Thank you, Gratiana," I said. "I hope you continue to make amends and help more people in the future."

She nodded her head.

"Thank you, friend. May you walk forever in Amadia's grace."

I turned back at my partners who had a mix of reactions.

"You're pretty forgiving," the Red Prince said. "I'd have her ready for a beheading if she was a citizen of the Empire."

"She most certainly would be condemned to death under other circumstances," I said. The laws of the Empire and other nations I've studied would condemn her for sure. "But here, I think it's best to let it go. She's saving lives now and the people here wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for her."

"Just be sure that this chain of thought doesn't get in the way of what needs to be done," Sebille said. She held the back of her needle by her neck. I understood.

"Don't worry," I said. "You agreed to help in my endeavors, so I'll see yours through."

Sebille smiled and put her needle away.

"Alright then," Ifan said. "Now that's over with, shall we get ready?"

"Absolutely," I said. We dispersed to different parts of the camp. The wounded were moved to the blessed waters. They were gently lowered in and all their wounds were healed. They stood up rejuvenated, some even ready to fight again. As that happened, everyone packed everything they could fit into their bags while the tents and other larger supplies were left behind as they would only slow them down.

Once everyone was ready, Gareth thanked Gratiana for her hospitality and she, in return, gave a prayer that we would succeed in our journey going forward. With everything set, Gareth raised his voice so everyone could hear.

"We move, Seekers. Now is the time to resist. The Lady Vengance will be ours!"

The Seekers gave a brave woot meaning they were ready for whatever lay before them. We all made our exodus from the sanctuary. One by one, the Seekers descended the vines. After about twelve minutes, we were all out of the camp on the floor of the ravine. Gareth lead the way through the swamps. The children stayed close behind me while I kept my eyes open for more threats to come our way. Luckily, there weren't any more vile byproducts of Braccus Rex wandering about or magister portals to cross our path. We arrived at another hill that lead out of the swamps. We climbed it to find ourselves at a plateau. When we looked to the east, we could see the manor of Braccus Rex in the distance on top of the distant hill.

As everyone sat down to rest, Gareth walked ahead and stopped at the top of a flight of stone steps. I walked up next to Gareth along with my partners and the children. We looked down the stairs to see it led to the gateway to the docks. Leading out of the docks was a paved road that ran along the beachhead all the way back to Fort Joy. In the distance, we could see the ship that would get us off this island. The Lady Vengeance. A majestic frigate ready to traverse the seas.

Then I saw the horrors that Gareth warned us about. Flanking the entrance to the docks were two wooden crosses with mutated humanoids staked to them. The Shriekers. Their arms and legs were stretched out and deformed into monstrous claws and their faces were abnormal humanoid skulls that slowly moved left and right. At the base of the crosses were a pile of smoldering and melted corpses. Must have been desperate Seekers who didn't listen to Gareth or unaware escapees who realized too late what the shriekers were.

As if by fate, we were about to get a demonstration of what these abominations were capable of. We watched as a crow flew down to one of the smoldering corpses. The nearest shrieker turned its head and looked at the bird. I watched as its eyes started to glow a blood colored red.

"Come closer…let us be whole… yes…" the shrieker spoke in an unsettling voice that was on the boarder of obsessive and painful. The crow froze and started to rattle. It rattled some more, then it popped. It's remains fell to the ground next to the corpse it was trying to scavenge. The Shrieker then resumed turning his head looking for new victims to stumble into its line of sight.

"Gods," I muttered under my breath.

Gareth pulled out the Purging wand and held it up. But then he looked over at me.

"I believe it's best you do the honors," he said. I looked at the wand for a moment before I accepted it.

"Just aim it at the nearest shrieker from here," he said.

I took my stance and pointed the wand at the nearest shrieker. I felt pull inside the wand. Like it was trying to pull something into it. With a flick of the wrist, a beam of green energy emerged and traveled over to the shrieker on the right. The energy looked as if it went through the shrieker's chest and grabbed something inside of it. When I pulled the wand back, the beam pulled out of the shrieker causing it to fall off the cross in chunks of meat and bone. The beam returned to the wand. I felt a sure of energy enter me. It was the source that came out of the shrieker. It rejuvenated a part of source that I used in the tower of Braccus.

I took a breath to recover from the serge of source. Gareth put a hand on my arm. I looked at him and nodded to assure him I was okay. He nodded back and looked back at the remaining shrieker. I took my stance again and the same thing happened. The shrieker fell apart and the source I pulled from it filled the rest of my body to its capacity. I let out a sigh and held out the wand for Gareth. But he put his hand onto mine and pushed it back to me.

"You'll find it to be more useful than I will," he said. I nodded my head. Gareth signaled everyone to follow him down the stairs. We passed the remains of the shriekers and through the gates. We found ourselves on a long empty stretch of stone leading to the docks.

In the distance, we could see about a dozen figures standing by the docks. Ifan came up and pulled out a spyglass. When he put it down, I could see he had a look of a predator eyeing his prey.

"Alaxander," Ifan said. The name shook us and caused us to look at each other.

"Well, it looks like I'll be helping you take down the Son of Lucian after all," I said.

"What do we do?" Sebille asked.

Gareth pointed to a small cove on the side of the docks.

"There's some boats there. If we take those, we'll be able to sneak by and board the Lady Vengeance. But that would only work if you go down there and distract him and his guards."

I raised a brow as I looked at the dozen magisters in the harbor.

"It's a ratio of at least three to one," I said. "Wouldn't it be better if we all take him on together?"

"We need all the strength we can get for taking over the Lady Vengeance," Gareth said. "Also, we would be cluttered into an open battle with all of those sentries atop the walls. We'd be walking into a death trap.

"We can make this work," Ifan said. He pointed to sentries. "If Sebille and I can take out a few of those sentries, we can tip the odds in our favor."

"And get a clear shot at Alaxander?" I said.

Ifan nodded with a keen look in his eye. Gareth patted Ifan's shoulder and pointed.

"You won't be able to take them out one by one with overlapping eyes. You may need someone to draw their attention away from the sentries."

Everyone's eyes went to the Red Prince. He had a look of surprise.

"If you're suggesting-"

"I'll join you," I said before he could finish. "I'll be the one to run Alexander's tongue long enough for Ifan to get the shot. When the fighting breaks out, I'll use my dome of protection to keep the ranged Magisters from hitting us. If the ones with swords try to get in close to us, we can blast them with our flame breath."

"You've become quite the strategist," Ifan said with an impressed smile.

"Battlefield tactics were one of my minor studies at the Empire," I said. "I didn't know if it would be useful but I'm happy it turned out for the best."

Ifan nodded and gave me a clap on the shoulder.

"So, it's settled then," Gareth said. "You go down there and keep the magisters busy while I lead my people to the Lady Vengeance."

"Sounds good," I said. But then I looked over at the children.

"But the children will have to stay here. I don't think it's a good idea to have them learn how to raid ships right now."

"Agreed," Gareth said. "Han, you stay here and keep the children safe while our new friends keep Alexander busy."

"Righto," Han stood at attention and saluted. Gareth looked to the seekers and spoke gently to not give away our position.

"Seekers, we move. You are Lucian's eyes and ears. You are his sword and his shield. Burn the blackness with your holy fire!"

The Seekers raised their fists and we all dispersed, ready to put our escape plan into motion.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Turned out to be longer than expected. Will have the next chapter up hopefully by the beginning of next week. As always, a review helps immensely and thank you for reading. See you next chapter.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The Red Prince and I walked casually down the steps to the harbor. There were twelve magisters in the area, four atop the walls, and eight standing by Alexander on the ground level; two spellcasters and six with swords and axes. When we were close enough, a sentry called us out and all the eyes were on us. Alexanders own eyes gave a look of concern but also of anticipation.

"There you are. The escapees," he said. He tilted his head. "I believe I recognize you two lizards."

I put on a persona of an irritable and sly troublemaker. That would surely keep Alexander talking.

"Just the two witnesses of your trial and execution of dear Magister Atusa," I said.

"Awe yes," Alexander said. "It was a difficult decision to be made but it was for the good of the realm."

In the corner of my eye, I could see the rowboats filled with the seekers on the waters. I avoided making direct eye contact. Even the slightest look would tip the magisters off that our bickering was a distraction. I continued the charade with an accusation against the bishop.

"Like how you round up innocent sourcerers to be turned into silent monks and shriekers?"

Alexander closed his eyes and sighed.

"I have no illusions that history will look kindly upon me," he said. "My only goal is to guarantee that someone should survive to write such histories. I am one of you, after all. My collar is as tight as those who must make the ultimate sacrifice."

I snorted and threw my head back laughing in my reptilian tongue. It wasn't just my persona laughing, I myself found it hilarious. It was sick but seeing this human's pride fuel his delusion and hypocrisy was just too much for me. I managed to calm down enough to continue running Alexander's tongue.

"If your collar is no tighter than any other sourcerer in the fort, then why don't you purge yourself of your own source? I'm sure that'll be something for the history books to teach children about the values of sacrifice and leadership."

I could see his own persona was cracking when I saw him tighten his hand on his staff.

"I cannot join you because my sacrifice requires something more," he said.

"Oh, do go on. I can't wait to hear your special kind of sacrifice," my voice was still lingering with laughter. I was amazed I was able to keep a sense of humor in this verbal standoff. Alexander firmly grasped his staff and stood strong, as if posing for a portrait.

"I am godwoken. The gods deem me their champion, just as they deemed my father long ago."

I raised an eyebrow and pursed my lips. I recalled that Dalles said Alexander was Godwoken during our first encounter. He continued.

"It is my birthright to follow in my father's footsteps in ascension and become the next Divine."

I saw the Seekers were just over halfway to the Lady Vengeance. I needed to keep the charade going.

"Really? How do you know that you're godwoken? We had a meeting with Zorl-Stissa earlier today and she gave us a gift to give blessings. Did Rhalic come and grant you the same gift? If so, I would like to see a demonstration."

Alexander's fists tightened and his eyes grew narrower.

"I cannot do that. The Voidwoken are on the loose and any source used will bring them here and destroy us all! A piece of knowledge you seem to neglect," he brought his hand to his collar. I just grinned and continued my performance.

"Well I'm sorry to say that I won't be putting on a new collar. Doesn't really fit my fashion sense. What do you say my prince?" I graciously bowed to the Red Prince. In the corner of my eye, I could see Sebille had taken out one of the Magister sentries without anyone noticing. In the meantime, the Red Prince took my cue.

"It really does not go with my current attire. Nor would I consider it for any of my favorite outfits. Besides, that cold iron really irritates my delicate scales. I would much rather prefer-"

"ENOUGH!" Alexander shouted in his built-up irritation. We did our job in running Alexander's tongue for sure. "I have the right to ascend to Divinity while you are nothing but troublemakers who must be stopped."

He looked to his magisters surrounding him. This was it. They were about to attack. While this was going on, I took the opportunity to look up the wall. Both Ifan and Sebille had succeeded in clearing out their respective areas. Ifan kneeled and had his crossbow ready. I returned my gaze to Alexander to not give Ifan's position away.

"Magisters," Alexander said. "These sourcerers are too dangerous to risk restraining. It is best to-"

"To what!?"

The interrupting voice came from a human man who walked into the middle of our confrontation. He had chestnut hair and wore a set of heavy silver colored armor laced with gold and blue cloth. He was a Paladin, a separate collection of warriors like the Divine Order. Alexander froze, like a child who was caught red-handed stealing sweets from a bakery.

"W-what is a paladin doing here?!" he said. "This island belongs to the Divine Order! You have no business being here!"

The Paladin looked at the Bishop with stern eyes. I took the opportunity to shift my eyes to Ifan. He had his bow on Alexander, but his eyes were on me. I gently shook my finger at my side. He returned his gaze down the shaft of his crossbow, but he didn't fire.

"The Paladins grow tired of the constant stonewalling from the Divine Order," the Paladin exclaimed. "I've come here to get answers to what is happening to the sourcerers you've been rounding up."

He walked over to me and the Red Prince.

"From what I've heard of your conversation, I believe I have found valid witnesses to testify."

He turned back to Alexander.

"I will be taking these sourcerers into my custody back to the mainland. I suggest you grant us safe passage, Bishop."

There was a silence between us. Without turning my head, I looked up at Ifan again. He still had his crossbow trained on Alexander. But from the look of things, it seemed his line of sight was blocked by one of his magister bodyguards. He couldn't move his position otherwise the magisters would notice him. During the silence, Alexander's fearful face slowly morphed into a disappointed one.

"I understand your commitment to protect the people of Rivillon, Paladin. But the Divine Order is committed to save Rivillon itself, no matter the cost. Our work here is too important to abandon."

The Magisters drew their weapons. This caused the Paladin, the Red Prince and I to draw ours in response.

"You can't be serious!" the Paladin said. The six melee magisters walked out and made a U formation in front of us while the spellcasters stood right in front of Alexander with their wands at the ready.

"I'm sorry, Paladin," Alexander said. "May the gods forgive us for the terrible things that mus-."

Alexander didn't finish his apology because the bells of the Lady Vengeance rung across the water. The Seekers had made it. Everyone turned their heads to the ship. I looked to Ifan and saw him put his eye down the length of the arrow shaft. I quickly tapped the Red Prince on his shoulder and leapt to the right end of the U formation. Right as I heard the click of Ifan's crossbow, I unleashed my fire breath onto the magister at the end. The flames consumed the first one and nearly got to the second magister in the U line, but she backed off just in time to evade it.

When I had finished my breath, I saw the Red Prince had done the same; one magister flailing in flames while the next in line pulled back. I looked at Alexander. Ifan's arrow managed to hit him in the shoulder and his back was against the wall. One of the sword wielding magisters ran back to assist the Bishop while the two spell casters unleashed a volley of ice and fire straight at us. I hopped to the Paladin in time to cast my dome and block the attacks. That left us with the Red Prince, the Paladin and I in the dome while Sebille and Ifan were on the walls readying themselves to attack. The magister that went back put the Bishop on his shoulder and held up his shield to cover their escape. As they did, the three remaining melee magisters and two spell casters were closing in on us.

"Sorry to drag you into this, Paladin," I said. "We were in the middle of our escape plan before you arrived."

"I am Paladin Cork, and I do apologize for interfering," the Paladin said. "You don't by chance have a new plan to accommodate our situation, do you?"

The spell casters unleashed another volley of ice and fire. But this time, they were aimed at Ifan. Ifan leapt back to evade the weaponized elements. It was then that I saw Sebille give a hand motion saying she was going to go after magister spell casters. I had a plan now.

"You two form up and take the three coming at us," I said to the Red Prince and Cork. "I'll support you. The others have the remaining magisters covered. After that, we'll go after Alexander."

"An adequate plan," the Red Prince said.

"I just hope you can leave Alexander alive," Cork said. "The Paladins will have questions for him."

That would get in the way of Ifan's contract. But it really wasn't up for debate at the moment.

"We'll try," I said. "The dome's fading. Get re-"

But before I could finish, there was a sudden rumble that caused everyone remaining in the harbor to lose their balance. The dome faded away, but no one fired at us. The rumble occurred again. It grew louder and louder.

"GET BACK!" Cork shouted. We leapt back in time to see huge column of dirt and stone shoot from the ground. I heard the scream of an unlucky magister as he was thrown into the air and didn't have the luxury of landing in the water on the way down. With our bottoms on the ground, we looked up to see the cause of all of it.

"VOIDWOKEN!" one of the remaining Magisters shouted.

This voidwoken wasn't like the grublike monsters that attacked the prison ship. It was a large wormlike monster that stood over the harbor with a round mouth lined with razor sharp teeth. It looked directly at us with two glowing violet eyes.

"Vermine. Thieves. Pests. Leeches!" the voidwoken spoke with a booming yet ghostly echo of a voice. "This world is ours. You will die!"

 _Thieves? What is it talking about?_

"See what you did!?" Alexander shouted out to us. When I looked at him, he had pulled the arrow from his shoulder and clasped his wound with his hand. "You summoned this monster. You will destroy us a-"

The voidwoken then turned its attention to the bishop. Alexander froze and his face was locked in shock staring at the monster. The voidwoken arched its slender form and brought its mouth careening toward the bishop. He barely let out a scream before it was silenced.

We hastily got to our feet and retreated behind the archway as the monster continued to ravage the harbor and the remaining magisters. We gathered around a corner with Sebille and Ifan joining us.

"Well it looks like you won't be able to get that bounty for killing Alexander, Ifan," I said. Hearing Ifan's name got Paladin Cork's head to turn.

"That's quite ironic," Cork said. "The man to receive a bounty to kill the Bishop is a former member of the Order."

I raised an eyebrow and looked at Ifan.

 _Ifan? The Order?_

"Long story!" Ifan said before I could ask anything. "We're going to need a plan to take that voidwoken down."

"We're all ears," Sebille said.

Ifan looked around to see several weapon racks laying around. He racked his brain and then ran us through what we were going to do next. All of us nodded, including Paladin Cork. We dispersed. I went up the stairs to the wall where Sebille took down the sentries. I saw the monster had finished off the remaining magisters. I started off the plan and launched a ball of lightening at the monster's face.

While it didn't seem to hurt it, I defiantly got its attention. The monster looked like it was going to attack me, but an arrow wedged itself into its left eye. Ifan had ran up on the other side and put his arrows where they needed to go. On the ground level, Cork and the Red Prince emerged with a dozen spears pulled from the weapon racks. One by one, they threw them. Some of them bounced off the creature's thick carapace while some managed to implant themselves into the squishier exposed parts of its body. We continued to pelt the monster with our projectiles. This, of course, was only a distraction.

From the tower beside the monster, Sebille leapt from the top and landed right on the top of its head. The monster reared its head around but Sebille had a firm grip keeping herself attached. She drew her dagger and started to stab away at the vulnerable parts of the creature's head. The voidwoken roared with pain and shook more and more. Again and again, the elf assassin kept stabbing the monster. Unfortunately, the more she stabbed, the messier it got. The creature's green blood coated its head until it became so slippery that Sebille couldn't hold on. She was launched off the creature's head into the air. I was horrified but I felt some relief when she landed into a nearby tree.

The bloodied creature reared its head toward Ifan. It shot a volley of poisonous spit, forcing Ifan to pull out and retreat down the steps. Then it looked at me. It pulled its head back and I knew what was going to happen next. I jumped just as the monster's mouth careened into the wall. I landed on top of a pile of collapsing rubble and ended up rolling onto the floor of the harbor. I tried to get to my feet, but the rumbling caused by the monster prevented me from doing so. The monster emerged again between me and Cork and the Red Prince. It barred its remaining eye on me.

Fear had suddenly taken a hold of me. I couldn't move. It pulled its head back again, ready to launch its poison at me. But all suddenly, bursts of fire appeared on the side of it. I looked to see the source of the fire. What I saw both surprised and horrified me.

"Hey you ugly bug! Over here!"

Paulie stood at the top of the wall over the archway. Next to Paulie was Trice, Sandy and Han holding bottles filled with oil. They were throwing Molotov cocktails at the monster. Then the horrifying side of the scene grew when the monster lunged right at them.

The jolt of fear was enough for me to get to my feet and run. I ducked behind a nearby pillar, breathing erratically from the fatigue and fear. I peeked around the pillar to see what happened. In the rubble of the archway, Paladin Cork, the Red Prince and the children where nowhere to be seen. I didn't know if they managed to get away or not. But I couldn't find out because the monster had emerged once again looking right at me. Then I noticed something. A barrel of oil was stuck in the side of its mouth. It must have been stuck into there when it attacked the children.

An idea popped into my head. I jumped out from the pillar into the open. The monster pulled its head back and I did too. As the creature lunged at me, I unleashed fire from my mouth. Only this time, it wasn't a torrent of flames. It was a single fireball that launched straight into the monster's mouth.

* * *

I found myself awoken by an awful smell. It was then followed by emerging sunlight and the sounds of several voices. I opened my eyes but blinked several times when I felt several drops off goop fall into them. When my eyes were clear, I could see Ifan, Sebille, the Red Prince, Paladin Cork and all four children were standing over me.

"Are you okay, Mahalia," Ifan said offering a hand to me. I reached up and took it. It was then that I found myself covered in green blood.

"Yeah I…" I started. I looked over to the side to notice the enormous carcass of the voidwoken on the stone floor. The head was completely gone with a giant splatter of green blood around where it was supposed to be.

"What happened?" I said.

"Well isn't it obvious?" Sebille said. "You shot the oil barrel stuck in its mouth and blew its whole head off."

I looked down at my blood-stained attire. The smell was really appalling.

"The remains of the voidwoken's head fell on top of you leaving us worried you might have died," Cork finished the recap.

When I thought about it, I was surprised I was even alive at this point. I had a face off with a humongous voidwoken and nearly got eaten by it.

"Well I was worried that some of you might have died after Sebille was thrown off."

I looked at the children.

"Especially you three," I said. "Did Han give you the idea to attack the monster?"

"I didn't want to do it, Mahalia," Trice said, holding her hands together in a guilty manner. "The boys wanted to help, and Han knew how to make fire bottles. When we saw the monster attack you, we wanted to distract it so you'd be able to escape. Are you mad at us?"

I kneeled to the children's level.

"No. I'm not mad. If you didn't help, I would probably be dead."

The children looked at each other with relief and excitement.

"However," the children's faces reverted to their "uh-oh" pose. "I'm going to ask you to never do that again. I want to make sure you're safe."

I slathered my hand with the voidwoken mucus and presented it.

"Shake my hand and promise me you won't do anything dangerous again."

The three children looked at my hand with disgusted faces. Each of them begrudgingly placed their hand in mine. I shook all three of their little hands at once and they rubbed their dirty hands against their cloths saying "Eewww."

"Thank you," I said.

I stood up and looked at the four grownups. Ifan gave me a large grin and patted me on my gooey shoulder before he looked over at the spot where Alexander was last seen. He walked over and kneeled to look down the hole.

As I followed him, I noticed something on the ground. It was a six-sided gem attached to a little broken rope. It must have been something Alexander had on him before he was taken out by the monster. I took ahold of the gem and examined it for a moment before I put it into my pocket. I stood next to Ifan stared down the hole with him.

"Do you think he's dead?" I asked. He stood up.

"Hard to tell," Ifan said. "Lone Wolves are expected to confirm their kills."

I nodded. But then remembered something.

"I hope it isn't much to ask, but is it true about what Paladin Cork said? You were part of the Divine Order?"

Ifan looked up at me with a look of shame in his eyes. I could tell it was more complicated than it sounded. He opened his mouth but before he could speak, we heard someone whistle by the docks. We looked up to see a woman standing by a newly arrived rowboat. I gave Ifan one last look before I walked to her. The woman was rather tall and seemed to be an elf. I said 'seemed to be' because she had elvish ears while the left half of her face was covered by a perfectly fitting metallic mask. She had long braded white hair and wore a set of white armor laced with gold shoulder plates and cloth. She looked behind us at the carcass of the voidwoken before she spoke to me.

"Well, well, well. Quite the mess you've made here," she said. "I'm Malady. And you are…"

Her glowing yellow eyes moved to my arm. I looked to see I had a little cut from my battle with the creature. Before I could do anything, she swiftly swiped her hand over the cut and painlessly retrieved an untainted drop of blood onto the tip of her finger. She brought it to her nose and sniffed it before she dabbed it onto the tip of her tongue. She looked at me again with a grin.

"…Godwoken."

I raised my eyebrow. She knew I was godwoken just from tasting my blood? That was rather piacular. I looked behind me at my companions.

"Well, I'm not the only one," I said. She looked at the others.

"We don't have enough time to test everyone, so I'll take your word for it."

Then her eyes locked onto Paladin Cork.

"But I can tell one of these is not like the others," She said. I could feel some hostility in her voice. I jumped in.

"He's no threat," I said. "He's with the Paladins. They've been in the dark about the Divine Order. They're allies."

Malady looked at me.

"Well, the enemy of our enemy isn't always a friend," she said. "The Divine Order is the enemy of the voidwoken. Yet somehow, I doubt they'd like to be our friends."

I could tell Malady had some distrust with the Paladins. Or at least anyone who wasn't a part of the seekers. I decided to defuse the tension by asked Cork a question.

"How did you get here, Paladin Cork?"

"I was granted a voyage by a magister ship," Cork replied. "Though considering what happened here, I doubt that they'll give me safe passage now."

He returned his gaze to Malady.

"I ask that you accept me as a passenger on your voyage off this island. I promise to not speak of your involvement here. I will only tell the Grandmaster of the Divine Order's wrong doings and their attempt on my life. You have my word that none of your names will escape my lips."

He offered his hand to Malady. She looked at it for a moment. She rolled her eyes and begrudgingly shook it. She turned back to the boat and beckoned us to follow.

"Come then. We set sail. Your destiny awaits, et cetera," she said in a rather bored voice.

 _Destiny?_

I was filled with many questions. But I knew that it wasn't the appropriate time to ask them. We all followed Malady to the boat and, after I took a quick plunge into the water to clean myself, we set off the away from the island to the newly claimed Lady Vengeance.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay. Had a few real-life obstacles to overcome and I found myself redrafting this chapter several times. But now I'm getting back on track. As always, a review helps immensely and thank you so much for reading. See you next chapter.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The ropes hoisted the lifeboat up the side of the Lady Vengeance with its ten passengers inside. When we reached the top, we exited the boat onto the deck of the massive ship. Unfortunately, we were greeted with a rather unpleasant scene. All around the deck, bodies laid in puddles of blood, burnt to ashes or sometimes both. The surviving seekers gathered up the bodies; placing the dead Seekers gently in a row while throwing the magisters' corpses off the ship into the sea. Gareth stood overlooking the bodies of his fallen. Malady lead us over to him.

"Any progress, Gareth?" Malady said almost oblivious to Gareth's fallen brothers.

"They had names, Malady," Gareth said coldly. "Can't you take a moment and pay them at least a little respect?"

It was then I recognized a face among the dead Seekers. It was Kerban. The man who took our collars off. In that moment, I felt at least a fraction of Gareth's emotional weight.

"We can grieve later," Malady said. "They would want us to get this ship sailing after all."

Gareth gave Malady an irritated look before exhaling something that was somewhere between a snort and a sigh. He looked over at us and put on a smile.

"Welcome to the Lady Vengeance, Godwoken," he put his hand to his chest and gave a small bow. Then he made eye contact with Cork with a smile one would make when they've met someone they haven't seen in a while.

"Well I'll be. Paladin Cork. What are you doing here?" Gareth said.

"Trying to find out what Alexander has done with the Sourcerers they've been rounding up," Cork replied. He gave a quick glance at the four of us. "It seems leaving the order has paid off hasn't it?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"You were a Paladin, Gareth?"

"Indeed I was," Gareth said. "It's a rather long story, but you already know the gist. After Lucian gave his life to defeat the Black Ring, we formed our group to find Godwoken. And we found them today."

Cork looked at us a little differently this time.

"So, one of you is destined to become Lucian's successor," Cork said as a statement rather than a question.

"Only if we stop the chit chat and continue looking for a way to get the ship moving," Malady said impatiently.

But before anyone could respond, a blood curling scream erupted from the bow of the ship. We all turned our heads and ran toward the source of it. We arrived to see an elven man drop to his knees with his whole body in flames. He fell to the ground and became motionless as the last of the embers consumed his remaining flesh and clothing. Next to him, an elven woman was on her knees sobbing over the sudden death.

"Maeve," Gareth said. "What happened here!?"

"W-we were doing what you instructed us to do, Gareth," Maeve said with sobs still in her voice. "I-I tried to communicate with the Livewood of the ship. But I couldn't do it. Brendyn tried touching the figurehead but as soon as he did…"

She looked at the smoldering corpse on the deck before she resumed her sobbing. I looked at the figurehead of the ship. It was a massive sculpture of a dragon, but a lot different than Slane's head. But something else caught my attention.

"Did she say Livewood?" I asked.

"Yes," Malady answered. "The ship has the spirt of an elven Ancestor Tree within it. It seems Dallis has found a way to bind that spirit to her."

"Which means unless we find a way to break that bond, we're stuck here until magister reinforcements come and take their ship back," Gareth said. He looked over at me. "I ask that you help us once more, Godwoken."

I looked at the others.

"We'd be happy to help," I said. "However, I'd like to be called by my name; Mahalia. I don't think the title of Godwoken has quite settled in just yet."

"Of course, Mahalia," Gareth nodded his head.

"So, what exactly are we to look for?" I said.

"Anything out of the ordinary," Gareth replied. "Books, strange objects, keys, something that can give us a clue on how to free the spirt of the ship."

It wasn't helpful that we didn't have anything narrowed down for our search. But we all made it this far. We shouldn't be too ungrateful.

"We'll get to work right away," I nodded my head.

"Thank you, g-," Gareth stopped and corrected himself. "-Mahalia. I'll stay here and tend to Maeve and her fallen brethren."

He walked over to the sobbing elf and kneeled to comfort her. Meanwhile, Malady started walking to the rudder of the ship leaving the four of us, the children, Han and Paladin Cork on the bow of the ship.

"So I guess we split up and search the deck up and down, right?" Sebille asked.

"That's the plan," Ifan said.

"Very well," the Red Prince said.

I nodded and everyone dispersed except for me and the three children.

"You stay with me. We'll search together," I said.

"We won't let you down Mahalia," Paulie said with a salute and the other two did the same. I saluted them in return.

We walked across the deck to the stairway leading to the lower deck. We descended the steps to find ourselves in the middle level of the ship. Along the sides were massive ballista catapults ready to launch their javelins at any oncoming enemy ship. Unfortunately for the magisters, they never got to use them as their enemy came in on small unseen rowboats.

"Alright children, spread out and look for anything that might help us."

"Will do!" Paulie said. All three children dispersed and ducked into every nook and cranny with their small bodies. I walked to the back section where the kitchen was. I made a through sweep of the room. The only things I found were an assortment of fruits, vegetables, meats and bread. No success but it did make me hungry. I took a fresh apple and nibbled on it while I continued my search.

Next was the mess hall. All that was there were several pews and tables with utensils on them. Next to the mess hall was a small training room with three practice dummies set up. Perhaps this would be a good place to train myself once we got the ship moving to wherever Malady and Gareth wanted to take us. After about twenty minutes of searching, I didn't come up with anything. But thankfully someone else did.

"Hey Mahalia!" Sandy shouted. He ran from the crew quarters in the bow section to me. The others joined him.

"Did you find something?" I asked him.

"I found this," He held up a little book. "It was behind one of the beds."

I opened the book to see it was a diary. A diary with one entry in it. The entry said it was the Magister's first day on the Lady Vengeance and the first day he kept a dairy to record his adventures to share with his possible future children. I sighed from the unfortunate turn of events.

"Anything useful in that book?" Trice asked.

"Possibly," I said. I read the last bits of the entry. "The magister who wrote in this referred to a place called the States Room that can be accessed with the password 'fortitude'."

Just then, the Red Prince and Ifan walked up to us.

"Perhaps this 'States Room' is on the bottom level," Ifan said looking at the hatch on the floor near the stairs to the top deck.

"Only one way to find out," I said. We went over to the hatch and opened it. One by one, we descended the steps. We found ourselves on a balcony overlooking a massive cargo hold. To our convenience, Sebille was already here. She walked up to us.

"Find anything?" she asked. I held up the diary.

"A password to the States Room," I said. Sebille then looked behind me to an open doorway behind the staircase.

"So that's how you get passed that door," she said. "Follow me."

She led us through the doorway to find a wooden door with no way to open it. No nob. No keyhole. Nothing. I suddenly had a realization. The wood had no imperfection in its design. It was all smooth with no bumps or creases. It had to be a Disputostium; an enchanted door that can only be opened under specific circumstances.

I slowly reached out and placed my palm on the door. Soon after, the wood groaned and creaked. I pulled my hand away just as a face appeared in the wood. Everyone behind me gasped. It was a face that showed pain and torment. But in the middle of the face's forehead was a six-sided indentation.

I remembered and reached into my pocket. I pulled out the gem Alexander dropped during our battle at the harbor. I gently held it over indentation in the head. The face's anguish disappeared and looked like it was breathing. It then looked over at me with a stern look. It spoke.

"I am summoned. Speak the password."

I made a little grin as I put the gem back into my pocket.

"Fortitude," I said.

"Yes, and yes again. The word is spoken."

The face disappeared and with a click, the door swung open.

"Welcome to the States Room."

I turned around to see everyone was happy to see my accomplishment. The children cheered while Ifan, Sebille and the Red Prince nodded to me.

We walked through the door to find ourselves in a rather fancy room with several bookcases, display shelves, a study desk and a double sized bed in the center. But the thing that stood out the most was at the private dinner table. A human man draped in pure black robs and long black hair sat in the chair by the table. He was working on some sort of gauntlet and seemed oblivious to us. We approached him but before we could speak, he brought a hand up.

"Just… one more moment please."

He clicked two pieces of the gauntlet together.

"And… there."

He slipped the gauntlet onto his arm before he brought his full attention to us. His eyes moved from face to face before his own face showed his realization.

"Rescued at last, am I? To whom do I owe my thanks?"

He was rather calm to have recognized he was being rescued. But rescued from who? Dallis?

"My name is Mahalia. The Seekers have taken control of the Lady Vengeance."

The man stroked his chin with his finger.

"The people Dallis was hunting down have taken over her ship? My… how the tides have turned."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name's Tarquin. And no, I'm not part of the magisters if that's what you're worried about."

"If you're not a magister, what are you?"

"Just a prisoner of Dallis," he said. "I suppose you're wondering why I'm in the captain's cabin instead of a metal cell out in the cargo hold, correct?"

"The thought did cross my mind," I said.

"Well that's because Dallis took an interest in my skills. She had me cast spells, tinker with relics, meddle with the laws of nature. All the sorts of things power-hungry despots love to do."

It was then that a cat jumped onto the table from behind it. But then I realized it wasn't a living cat. It was a skeleton of a cat. Its bones rattled as it stretched its body.

"A necromancer," Ifan said.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Tarquin said.

"I've had several encounters with summoners of the undead before our most recent battle with one earlier today," Ifan said. "Pardon me if I don't feel comfortable being in the presence of another one."

Tarquin pursed his lips and shrugged.

"Fair enough," he said. He fondled his fingers together.

"Well regardless of your profession," I said. "We're looking to get the ship moving again. Can you help us?"

Tarquin smiled looked over at the desk.

"Seeing as you are a lizard, I believe you'll have no trouble understanding how to undo Dallis's control of the ship."

I walked over to the desk to find a dusty tome on it. I took ahold of it and blew the dust off. I opened the book to find it was written in the ancient lizard language. Thankfully, I knew the ancient language very well. From the words I read, I recognized it was a song. The realization made me pause for a moment.

"Anything useful written in there?" the Red Prince asked.

"Maybe," I said. "I think I know what we need to do. We should get topside."

"But what about him?" Ifan looked at Tarquin. He leaned back in his chair awaiting my response.

"I don't think he's going to be trouble, are you?" I asked him.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Tarquin said. "You've freed me from Dallis's custody. I should find a way to repay you in the future."

I read his face and it didn't show signs of an act. It seemed genuine.

"Alright then. I'm sure Malady or Gareth would like to have a word with you once we get the ship moving."

We exited the room and made our way topside. When we did, I walked straight to the bow of the ship. Brendyn's body have been removed, but I could see the singe marks on the wood where he lay before. I stood before the figurehead again. This time I took a closer look at it. There was a mark on the side of it. It was the same mark Sebille had on her cheek.

I looked at the Tome again and put the pieces of the puzzle together. The realization made me feel woozy inside. I felt lightheaded and took a small step back. Ifan put his hands on my arm and back in case I fell. Thankfully, I didn't.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Ifan asked.

I looked over at Ifan, then at Sebille. I said nothing. Instead, I opened the book. I read the verse written in the ancient tongue as if I was singing it. As soon as I finished the song, the deck beneath our feet started to groan and tremble. We heard a deep sigh coming from somewhere, as if someone had awoken from slumber. Before us, the figurehead rattled and started to move. The turned until it was almost facing us. I looked directly into the eye of the wooden dragon head.

"You…" The figurehead spoke with a female voice that had an ethereal echo. "You are not the witch. You are not Dallis."

I gulped a wad of saliva in my mouth before I replied.

"Are you the elvan spirt of the ancestor tree that was made into this ship?"

The wood suddenly rumbled again, this time more violently. I was afraid I had angered her. But the rumbling stopped when the ship replied.

"Once, I was an elf. I passed away and was reborn as an ancestor tree, in a beautiful forest surrounded by kin of both flesh and root. But the magisters destroy it all to end the war they started!"

Her voice erupted into anger.

"But instead of leaving me to the same fate of my brethren, they uprooted me and-"

The ship stuttered as the anger and sadness surging through the wood that we could feel it beneath our feet.

"-and they tore me apart and turned me into this… MONSTROSITY!"

Hearing the Lady Vengeance's story shook me to the core. It wasn't from the story of the cruelty the magisters; Fort Joy already gave me my fill of that already. It came from what the Lady Vengeance was going to say next.

"But it wasn't enough for Dallis. Not only was I enslaved to the shape I am now; she used the mark of lizards to destroy whatever free will I had left."

She paused for a moment. The anger was gone but the sadness still lingered in her voice.

"You have broken Dallis's control over me, but I cannot be free again, not truly. You sang the song. You must decide my fate. Are you to be my new mistress?"

Hearing the story of how this ship was once a living tree and was enslaved by a spell of my own people, I felt something inside of me. It wasn't the burning of my fire breath. It was… shame. Two times already, I have seen the results of my people's handywork on two living beings. First it was Sebille who threatened to kill me because she hated lizards for what the leader of the House of Shadows did to her. Now hearing the elven spirit's story only made it grow to the point I couldn't keep it in. I tightened my grip on the Tome of the Slave Spell and squeezed my eyes shut, expelling two tears that ran down the side of my face. I took a step over to the railing and leaned against it as I let out a gasp of sadness. But I held my hand up to stop the others from coming over to me. I took a breath and pushed myself off. I looked up at the wooden dragon's eye again.

"N-no." I said. I tried my best to subdue the sobs. "I-I am not a citizen of the House of War. You will no longer be a slave to anyone!"

I took the Tome tossed it over the side of the ship. I heard it splash into the water and imagined it sinking down to the bottom hopefully to never be seen again. There was a silence between us. The head of the ship gently tilted toward me.

"Perhaps lizard blood does not truly run cold then. Thank you."

What she said gave me a moment of comfort, but it filled me with more shame. The Lady Vengeance spoke again.

"Unfortunately, as a vessel, I can only do one thing. Speak of where you need to go, and I will take you there."

Just then, Malady walked up to our gathering in the bow of the ship.

"The ship's awake," Malady said. "Oh, how delightful. I'd say it's time we put Fort Joy behind us don't you think?"

I looked to the island and the Fort that lay in the distance. I didn't speak. I only nodded at her.

"Splendid," Malady said. She looked over at the head of the Lady Vengeance. "If you would be a dear, could you set course for Driftwood please?"

The head of the Lady Vengeance turned to face me, as if to confirm the destination. I nodded again.

"As you wish," the ship spoke and moved her head back to its original position. With a surge we felt beneath our feet, the ship dropped its sails and turned into the wind. I felt the mighty ship surge forward as the winds carried it over the waves. We watched as the island and Fort Joy was put behind the ship.

"Excellent," Malady said. She looked at the setting sun on the horizon. "We'll reach Driftwood by morning. In the meantime, you should put some food in your bellies and get some much-deserved rest. This is only the first step in your little journey."

She turned and walked down the deck to the rear of the ship. As for the rest of us, the Red Prince walked down the deck to the stairs while the rest stayed when I didn't move.

"Are you okay?" Ifan asked me.

I looked over at Ifan, the children then at Sebille.

"I…" I looked at the sunset then at the head of the ship one last time. "I need a moment."

I walked away and went down to the lowest level of the ship.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This chapter turned out to be easier to write than I thought. The next chapter is already in the works and will be up soon. As always, a review helps immensely and thank you for reading my story. See you next chapter.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

I sat on the floor of the cargo hold with my back against one of the support beams. I nestled my head in between the horns on my knees and curled by tail around my legs. I squeezed my eyes tight and sobbed.

"Mahalia?"

I lifted my head to see all three children standing on the balcony. They spotted me and ran down the stairs. I wanted to be alone, but I couldn't bring myself to shoo the children away. When they reached me, Trice sat down on my right while the boys sat on my left. Trice reached out and put her hand into mine.

"Are you sad, Mahalia?" Trice said.

I took a breath and sighed. I couldn't push the emotions aside entirely.

"Yes," I said. I imagined my eyes were swollen red around me bright blue pupils.

"About what?" Sandy asked.

I pursed my lips together and expelled two more tears.

"About the fact that a lizard slave song was used to enslave the Lady Vengeance."

Trice immediately took her other hand and sandwiched mine between hers.

"You don't need to feel bad, Mahalia," Trice said. "You broke the spell and set her free. You saved her."

"She does have a point."

I looked up to see Ifan leaning against the support beam next to mine. He had his arms crossed with a small grin on his face.

"Dallis was the one who ordered this ship to be made and she was the one who put the spell on her. You freed her like you did with our dragon friend on the island. You should be proud."

My mind was still rushing.

"It's… it's more complicated than that…"

Ifan looked up at the balcony where the stairs to the midlevel was. He pulled up a nearby stool and sat down in front of me.

"Well, it'll be a little while before dinner will be ready," Ifan said. "I'd say we have time to listen."

The children looked at me with concerned but also curious faces. I looked down at the contrasting skins of Trice's hands and mine. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The sobs were gone, for now.

"Before all of this, before I met all of you, I lived in the Ancient Empire. I'd never seen the world outside of the city I grew up in. I've only read books and seen illustrations of what it was like out there. The only people I interacted with were other lizards. I never batted an eye to the human servants the neighboring families had."

I paused and looked at each of the humans looking at me.

"But now, having been swept up in all of this, everything's… different."

Ifan leaned forward on his stool. He gently stroked his mustache showing his intrigue.

"Different in a good way or a bad way?" he said.

I closed my eyes and dipped my head.

"It's both," I said. "I've learned a lot about human, dwarf and elf cultures from my studies. But being out here and actually interacting with humans and elves without having to put on a persona for someone else…"

Ifan raised a brow and finished the sentence for me.

"You're starting to see things from a different perspective."

I nodded.

"Now that I've met Sebille and listened to the Lady Vengeance's story…

I withdrew my hand from Trice's and brought both to my eyes.

"I see why people see lizards like me as monsters."

I buried my head into my hands and sobbed again. But before I could shed more tears, I felt three pairs of hand touching my arms. Then I felt a larger hand on my shoulder. I lowered my hands and cracked open my eyes again. All three children and Ifan looked into my eyes with faces that couldn't be any less than empathetic.

"You're not a monster, Mahalia," Paulie said immediately.

"Yeah," Trice said. "You are the bravest and nicest person in the world."

"Yeah," Sandy said. "You're nothing like that mean Red Lizard. You're a better person than he is."

Ifan grinned and looked deep into my eyes.

"That's right. From what little I know of Lizard civilization, he's from the House of War and you're from the House of Law, correct?

I looked into Ifan's eyes and blinked away two more tears before I took a breath and replied.

"Yes."

"And isn't it true the House of Law doesn't permit the use of slavery?"

"Yes."

"Well then, it seems you have nothing to be ashamed of."

I looked blankly away and pondered. I was a citizen of the House of Law. We were the counterweight to the House of War. Our purpose is to learn, understand and change the law for the better. This was a lesson that should be learned and enacted on. When this adventure would be finished, I would go back and do what I could to change my people's society for the better. No more slavery in any house. I could do it. I needed to do it.

I looked up at Ifan.

"Thank you."

I looked at children.

"All of you."

Everyone smiled at me and I smiled back. I opened my arms and all the children came in for a big hug. Their embrace warmed my coldblooded veins. Ifan offered his hand and I immediately took it. Once on my feet, he clapped me on the shoulder and gave a wink. Just then, bells rung from the deck above. Thankfully it wasn't the alarm bells signaling enemy ships. Instead it was the dinner bell.

"Ah," Ifan said. "I'd say it's time to fill our empty bellies don't you think?"

"Absolutely," I said with a smile. The five of us made our way up the stairs and emerged on the second level. The appetizing smell of cooked meat entered my nostrils and my stomach growled. All the remaining seekers gathered around the tables of the mess hall with their meals ready to eat. We went to the server and received our plates of meat and vegetables.

With our dinner in our hands, we saw a table occupied by the Red Prince and Sebille; sitting on opposite ends of course. There wasn't enough room for all five of us but thankfully I did see Han sitting at a relatively empty table.

"How's about you three sit with Han for dinner tonight?" I told the children.

"Okay," they said and went on their way. Ifan and I went over to the table occupied by the elf and lizard. Seeing how they looked at each other, I decided to sit next to the Red Prince and Ifan next to Sebille. My mood had improved since my conversation with Ifan and the children, so I was the one to start the conversation as we ate.

"We've come a long way, haven't we?" I said. Sebille broke her leer with the Red Prince and looked at me with a more relaxed face.

"We most certainly did," she said. "You've handled yourself pretty well considering you haven't had prior experience."

"Well it comes from being born in the Ancient Empire. We have a minimal standard for physical and combat prowess. I haven't had to use my spells to defend myself until now, but I'm glad my parents pushed me to do so."

"We're certainly thankful for it," Ifan said. "By the way, have you decided if you're going to stick around with us or go back home once we reach Driftwood?"

The realization came down on top of me like a crashing boulder. Just this morning I was so worried about my family and Brell, but after our little quest to retrieve the purging wand, our encounter with the gods, my personal quest to free a captured dragon and the battle with Alexander and the Voidwoken, I had nearly forgotten all about it.

"Well…" I said. "I am Godwoken after all. So, I guess I'm here to stay. I'll just send a letter back home to tell them I'm okay."

I propped my head on my arm and pondered for a moment.

"Gods, I never thought I'd be this special."

"Why's that?" Ifan said. "Being a sourcerer is already considered to be special."

"For you it may be. In the Empire, we have a system for sourcerers. Sourcerers are granted some privileges if they fulfill certain requirements."

"Like what?" Sebille asked.

"My family doesn't particularly have a high status in the House of Law. They owned a small shop in the city and made enough to get by. They could afford to raise one child, so they had only me. I helped around the shop until my source abilities manifested. After that, I could attend the elite schools to prove my place in society as a diplomat. But for my family and I to truly rise in the ranks of society, I needed to pass all of my classes and combine my family tree with a higher family."

Ifan eyed the ring on my finger.

"And this ties back to your betrothed?"

I nodded.

"I met Brell when I was a child. His family is a noble family of commerce. I hadn't seen him after my childhood days when I departed for my education. When I passed my classes and returned to my family shop, Brell was there to propose to me. I accepted and everything seemed to work out for the best for me and my family."

"But seeing as you're sitting here with our marry band of misfits, it didn't happen according to plan did it?" Ifan said.

I shook my head.

"Before I could be married to Brell, I was asked to accompany an envoy that needed to travel to a human city to settle a trade dispute. But it couldn't have been timed more poorly. When I arrived, I was separated from my group and the magisters took me away."

There was a pause between us until Ifan asked the next question.

"Which city were you sent to?" Ifan asked.

I looked at everyone around the table.

"Arx."

Ifan's head tilted and he made a sound in the back of his throat. Everyone turned their heads to him.

"I'm going to assume you don't particularly have good tidings with the grand city of the Divine Order, do you?" the Red Prince said.

Ifan looked around the table before he closed his eyes and took a breath.

"Cork was right. I did serve the Divine Order long ago under Lucian. It was far different than how it is now. Lucian was a good man, nothing like his spoiled brat of a son. I fought in many battles under him against the Black Ring. But…"

He looked over at Sebille.

"You know what the Lady Vengeance said about finishing the war the magisters started?"

"You were there?" Sebille asked.

"I had a front row seat to witness it," Ifan said. "Lucian knew he needed to use Death Fog to defeat the black ring."

He paused.

"But it would kill the elves that lived in the forest. The same elves who took me in as a child after my parents were killed. So, we came up with a plan. I was to hurry through the forests with a rift portal for the elves to escape before the Deathfog was unleashed. But something went wrong. I was too late. The barrels exploded and the elves…"

He bent his head down and sighed. I reached out and put my hand onto his on the table. Sebille put her own hand onto his shoulder. He looked up at us and slowly gave a small grin. Both Sebille and I then let go of him.

"So, after that I left the Order once Alexander took over and I was a Lone Wolf ever since."

There was a dreadful pause between us. Then I remembered something Ifan said while we were still escaping Fort Joy.

"But what about the part where you ended up on our ship to Fort Joy?" I asked.

Ifan's eyes sparked. His foul mood was gone and replaced with enthusiasm. The mood shift got to me too. I found myself craving for something to lighten the moment and Ifan was defiantly going to provide it.

"Here's the scene," he said. "Underneath the Tavern in Dirftwood there's a place I feel right at home: a delightful little hive of scum and villainy. I was relaxing down there after a job. Just a hint of drudanae, you know, a hint."

I could sense the disaster waiting to happen already.

"All of a sudden, a tiger prowls in. I jump up, but everybody else is just ignoring it. And then he picks up my scent! His eyes turn blue and he leaps at me. I flip the table and start scrambling for my crossbow, nowhere to be found. By now the tiger's right on top of my eyeballs, so I do the only thing I could think of: I summon Afrit."

 _Uh-oh_

"And now everybody reacts! Screaming, scrambling around. Pelting for the stairs. Drinks flying everywhere! And that pesky tiger? Nowhere to be seen."

"Let me guess," I leaned in. "It was the drudanae the whole time."

Ifan pulled his head back and laughed. I couldn't help myself and laughed with him. I even saw both the Red Prince and Sebille were laughing too. I took some breathes to gain control of myself and Ifan did the same.

"But to answer your question; yes," Ifan said. "And it turns out _some_ people don't appreciate spectral wolves tearing up the place, so _some_ people called the magisters on me."

"Well you most certainly learned your lesson the hard way," the Red Prince said. "Lesser beings are incapable of handling the effects of drudanae."

Sebille's rather joyful face transformed into a discerning stare that locked right onto the Red Prince.

"Well Red, how's about you tell us your story of how you fell from your precious Empire and ended up in our little band of lesser beings?" Sebille said with a rather intrigued grin.

The Red Prince's eyes widened and flickered over to me and Ifan. We in turn gave our own enthusiastic smiles. I could tell the Prince was backed into a corner.

"Oh, very well," the Red Prince sighed and cleared his throat. "The long and short of it is because I was found in bed with a demon."

Ifan and I splurged our next bite of food from our mouths. All three of us started to laugh again and The Red Prince only blankly stared.

"Are you serious?" Sebille said still laughing. "What, none of your precious concubines were able to satisfy your royal urges?"

The Red Prince kept a straight face and sighed.

"In a matter of speaking, yes," the Red Prince said. "I'd be willing to tell you the full story if you could refrain from these outbursts."

We all took deep breathes and calmed down. Once we did, the Red Prince took it from the top.

"As a prince of the House of War, I lived in the Forbidden City. No others are allowed to enter it. As for myself, I was never allowed out. I was too valuable to be exposed to the dangers of the outside world. All the wars I won were from the comfort of sofas. From amid the ultimate opulence of my quarters, I expanded and very much ruled the Empire. I had it all. And frankly, I got bored."

Ifan and Sebille looked at each other with amused faces while I gave the Red Prince a diagnosis.

"Sounds like you suffered from Gilded Cage syndrome," I said.

"Your scholarly skills really show," the Red Prince said. "I did not suffer the boredom of some spoiled brat like that Alexander twat. Mine was the absolute absence of challenge; the longing not simply to watch the horizon, but to journey towards is. If I could not experience the joys of the world beyond, I had to bring the world to me."

He looked to the nearest window for a moment.

"Miraculous what a Sourcerer can do with a little arcane lore. I summoned demons, the most dangerous game in the world. But they knew they met their match in me. So, we conversed, we drank wine, we played chess. Eventually my mind rejoiced so I believed it was time for the body. I spent every night in the company of demons enacting in pleasures beyond comprehension. But one moonless night, the succubus that was my lover turned on me. She went for my neck like a cobra with her sharp fangs. But then she suddenly stopped. Something deep inside me welled up: a power I never knew I had. She simply froze under my stare. Then she screamed. The Imperial Guard forced itself into my chambers and found the succubus on top of me."

He looked down at his scaly hand.

"I believe the phrase is: caught red handed."

We all stared at the lizard in silence.

"After that, I found myself wondering the lands. Now I find myself sitting in this acceptable boat on my way to find out what I must do to regain my Throne."

He looked at us.

"Quite a story is it not?" the Red Prince.

"Only if it'll have an ending where the spoiled aristocrat learns his lesson," Sebille said with an intense gaze on the Prince. I could tell there was still bad blood between these two. I decided to redirect the conversation.

"How about you Sebille? How did you end up on our boat to Fort Joy?"

Sebille broke her intense gaze with the Prince and looked at me with a pleasant smile.

"It's simple really. I walked up to the quay, asked for the ship to Fort Joy and declared myself a Sourcerer."

The simple explanation caused Ifan and I to snort in amusement. Sebille then looked around the table.

"But since everyone else gave their story, I might as well give mine."

Sebille made a glance at the Red Prince.

"Who knows? Perhaps this can be used to educate people on what it feels like to be on the other end of the master-servant relationship."

The Red Prince made a sneer at Sebille. To my surprise, Sebille stood up from the bench. She took a nearby stool and stood on top of it. She then bowed with thespian flair.

"Imagine…" She moved her body around to give a visual representation to her story.

"A black room. It's been your room for years. You know it by touch because it's always dark. You're either in the room or in the box that you travel. You're only left out in the night because you only hunt in the night with the Master's voice in your ears urging you on. And after it's done you lie down in the box once more with wet hands, and mad red thoughts."

I dipped my head and sighed. When I pulled my head back up, I noticed other seekers had turned their heads to watch the elf's performance.

"The thing is: the box didn't break me. Instead it taught me to hate. One night, I killed a scholar. His blood mingled with the spilt ink on his desk. It's when I saw the ink that timid thoughts of rebellion first bloomed. Back in my dark room, I dipped the needle that killed the scholar in his own ink."

She pulled her needle out and traced it over a name engraved on her arm.

"I engraved his name in my skin. Turesh-Ar: a keeper of stories. I'm sure he was loved by many. I'd remember him. I'd honor him with vengeance. His name was the first, but many more followed."

She slipped the needle away and brought everything she had for her finale.

"Then one day it happened. A gush of wind. A sliver of light. Light! I hardly knew it for what it was. A simple oversight that comes with habit: a door left slightly ajar. That was all I needed to feel a rush of blood, a thirst for liberation like never before. I tore at the shackles that kept me chained to the floor; iron thick as a smith's wrists. Of course, they wouldn't budge. They never did before. But now that I saw the light, something welled up inside me: raw and undeniable burst of power."

She was on her knees on the floor with her hands up in the air.

"The shackles broke and next thing I knew I was free. I stood alone outside the ruins of a fortress, snow-capped peaks all around me. But the sun. O the sun! I had risen as if from the grave and she kissed me back to life."

With her performance finished, several Seekers applauded. She rose and bowed to her audience. She walked back to her seat and looked at us.

"So that's how I was able to get away from the Master. But if I'm truly to be free of him and honor those whom he made me kill, he must die."

I took a moment to think about what everyone had said. There were several things to talk about, but a sudden yawn that came upon me told me those should wait until morning once we arrived at Driftwood. I decided to thank everyone.

"I'm glad we were able to talk to each other," I said.

"As am I," Ifan said.

"Yes, I did find this exchange to be… enlightening overall," the Red Prince said.

Sebille only nodded. She stood up and walked out the door as the rest of the seekers started to get up themselves. Ifan looked over at me.

"I'd say it's time to retire, wouldn't you?" he asked.

"Absolutely," the Red Prince answered first. He stood up. "If you don't mind, I shall stake my claim to the States Room."

Ifan shrugged.

"I've no problem with that," he looked over at me.

"Neither do I," I said.

"Jolly good," the Red Prince turned away without saying anything else.

Ifan and I stood up and the children joined us as we exited the mess hall. As we walked to the sleeping quarters, the children talked about Sebille's act and how they thought she was a very strong woman. I told them I thought so too. When we reached the sleeping quarters, several seekers had taken the available bunks while several were still vacant. We claimed three in a corner of the room. When I looked around, I couldn't see Sebille sleeping in any of the bunks.

 _She must have retreated to the cargo hold._

The five of us tucked ourselves in and soon after, we fell asleep awaiting to awake to the sunny shores of Driftwood.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Took longer than expected. Had to rewrite the beginning conversation at least four times to get it right. Now that I did, do you think the interactions and back story for my character are convincing? Tell me all about it with a review and thanks again for reading my story. See you next chapter.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Instead of rays of sunlight peering through the windows beating on my eyes, what woke me up was the warning bell. My eyes snapped open. I saw everyone in the room hastily get to their feet. I did so too along with Ifan and the children.

"Magisters!" a seeker shouted from the door. "All hands on deck!"

Everyone rushed out the door. Ifan tapped me on the shoulder urging me to follow. I kneeled to the children.

"Stay here," I told them. "Do not leave this room under any circumstance. Do you understand?"

"Yes," the children said. They were nervous.

"It's going to be okay, I promise," I said. They nodded and I patted each of them on the head. I ran with Ifan out the door. When we reached the stairs, both Sebille and the Red Prince had emerged from below. They joined us as we emerged to the deck of the ship. Malady, Cork, and Gareth along with the remaining seekers looked to the portside.

"Man the Ballistas!" Gareth shouted. "Defend the ship!"

Another ship sailed over the waters and turned parallel to the Lady Vengeance. The Magisters were coming. As the Seekers rushed to the Ballistas, Malady ran up to me and the other Godwoken.

"Listen," she said. "We can't win this one. But I can get us to safety. You'll have to buy me time. Show us what you can do Godwoken."

She ran to the wheel of the ship. As she did, Ifan brought us together in a huddle.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

"Prince and Sebille, join the seekers on the frontline and repel the boarders. I'll head up top and provide cover fire. Mahalia, you stay by Malady and cover her."

I looked at Malady as she took the wheel. She started to channel her source.

"Got it!" I said. Ifan nodded and brought his hand to the middle of the huddle. I put my hand on top of his. Sebille and the Red Prince followed.

"Together," Ifan said.

"Together," we repeated. We dispersed and ran to our positions.

"FIRE!" I heard Gareth shout.

The Lady Vengeance's portside erupted with spears that impaled into the magister ship. At first, I thought we managed to score good hits on the vessel. But that inference turned out to be false as the magister ship fired its own volley at us. I watched the Seekers brace as the spears impacted the hull of the Lady Vengeance. No one seemed to be hurt from the volley, but it turned out their attack wasn't intended for damage. The spears had impaled themselves into the hull of the Lady Vengeance and the ropes they were attached to started to reel the ship in. As the ropes pulled us in, I saw two figures standing on the aft side of the magister ship. I immediately recognized the first with her white hair and two-handed hammer in her hands.

 _Dallis!_

Next to her was a hooded human man. Possibly her servant. I couldn't make out his features from where I stood. Along the starboard side of the ship was a standing line of crimson. The boarders ready to board.

"I respect your mettle, Sourcerers," Dallis shouted to us. "You steal my ship, kill my bishop, and ally with demons."

 _Demons?_

I turned my head to Malady. She peaked through her eyelid.

"Later," she muttered and returned to her concentrating.

"But you have no idea what you're really dealing with!" Dallis looked at a line of crimson figures lining the side of her boat.

"We cannot take any risks. Kill everyone on board!"

The hulls of both ships collided. Everyone on the Lady Vengeance stumbled. Dallis's minions hopped from their ship onto ours. They met the swords and axes of the Seekers. I unleashed a hail of ice in an opening of the wood that was clear of any friendly seeker. I could see my spell had hit at least two enemies that were soon dispatched by the Sebille and the Red Prince. Meanwhile from above, Ifan unleashed his arrows one after another.

The first wave seemed to be fended off just fine, but a second wave soon joined in. Unfortunately, the Seekers couldn't contain it and a trio of enemies broke through. They ran up the side of the ship to the stairs where Malady and I waited at the top.

It was then I realized the attackers weren't normal human magisters. The one normal sized one with a sword and shield was a human but with a familiar black hew around his eyes and mouth. It was a Silent Monk. The other two, however, were not natural silent monks. At the camp, the Seekers had told us about the variants of Divine Order's uses for silent monks in addition to Shriekers.

The oversized one was a Gheist, a monster that had the shape of a Shrieker. Instead of liquefying everything it could see, it could walk and swipe its claws at its foes. The other was an elf hunched over with pieces of metal infused into its arms and legs. But the most disturbing part was a large bear trap device attached to around his head. It was like a demonic crossbreed of an elf and a dog. It was called a weaponized monk.

I took my ready stance. I wasn't well equipped for a close fight, but I was the only one between them and Malady. I couldn't give up. I waited until the abominations reached the top of the steps. I inhaled and unleashed my fire breath. The silent monk took the brunt of the fire and was incinerated. But the other two monstrosities had moved out of the way. The dog-like monster ran around and readied to lung at me. But just as it did, a white blur careened into it. As I suspected, Afrit came to the rescue. I took a glance at Ifan on the mast just in time to see him launch an arrow. I watched the arrow land right into the chest of the Gheist. But it wasn't enough to stop it.

The Gheist lunged at me, forcing me to dive out of the way. I saw Afrit was still in combat with the weaponized monk. I saw the shield of the Silent Monk laying nearby. I scrambled to it and raised the heavy metal above me just in time to block the Gheist's next attack. It swung its claw again then again. I blocked each attack until I had an opening and shot a ball of lightening from my wand. The Gheist staggered backwards giving me enough time to pick myself up.

I felt the burning in my chest return. I inhaled and unleashed another torrent of flames right into the Gheist. It flailed and finally fell dead. I turned to see Afrit had succeeded in taking down the weaponized monk.

"This is taking too long!" I heard Dallis shout. She looked to her hooded servant. "Do it!"

The hooded figure nodded and brought his hands up to the air. A red glow emerged in the sky. A horrid realization struck me. I ran as fast as I could down the stairs to the brawl in the middle of the ship.

"COME TO ME!" I shouted as loud as I could. I channeled my source and brought up my dome of protection just in time as the meteors came crashing down. The fire engulfed the deck of the ship, burning seeker and minion alike. The only people who managed to get under my dome in time were Sebille, the Red Prince, Cork, Gareth and Gareth's protégé. All around us, the remaining Seekers screamed as they were consumed by the flames. All that was left to protect Malady were the seven of us, including Ifan who was clear of the barrage.

As the flames on the deck and my dome dissipated, a third wave of Dallis's minions were ready to attack. But before they could board, Gareth's protégé suddenly brought his hand to his chest and fell to his knees. A quick look at the enemy ship showed it was a spell from the hooded servant. Gareth's protégé breathed harder and harder until he reared his head back and screamed. His mouth and eyes glowed hot red right before his face erupted into a gush of flames.

"NO!" Gareth ran over and held his protégé in his arms. But Cork ran over and slapped him in the back of the head.

"GREAVE LATER!" Cork shouted.

Gareth put the corpse of his protégé down and readied himself again as the new wave of minions came aboard. But before we could engage, the floor beneath us rattled. The voice of the Lady Vengeance roared from the bow of the ship.

"You will not take me again Dallis!"

A surge of energy flowed from the soles of my feet and up through my body. I could feel the anger of the Lady Vengeance surging into me, begging me to fight. The others did too as they screamed with vigor. Gareth, Cork, Sebille and the Red Prince swung their weapons harder than ever. They tore through the boarders while Ifan and I and unleashed spell after spell and arrow after arrow into the attackers. Things seemed to go okay but I noticed a fourth wave ready to jump in.

 _Please Malady, we're not going to last much longer!_

I suddenly felt an irregular burning in my body far hotter than my flaming breath. It was the same spell that killed Gareth's protégé. I fell to my knees as I felt like the insides of my body were starting to melt. I would have been afraid to die like this. But I felt something else surge through me. It was the remaining source in my body. It flowed in and out of my chest mixing together with the molten fire.

I lifted myself up and stumbled over to the edge of the boat. The fourth wave was ready to jump onto the Lady Vengeance. I grasped the railing. With all the will I could muster, I inhaled all the air I could bring in and channeled every drop of source I had into my core. I shot my head forward and unleashed a torrent of flames ten times larger than my normal spew. It engulfed the fourth wave of Dallis's forces. I fell onto the deck with a dazed head. Gareth and Cork came over to me before I heard Malady shout from the back of the ship.

"Hold on!"

A flash of green emerged and I knew nothing more.

* * *

I wasn't on the Lady Vengeance. There was only darkness. I could feel the features of my body but I couldn't move them. When my nostrils took in air, I could smell the scents of the desert. Something grew in my mind. It wasn't a thought, rather a hope. A hope that everything that happened was a dream and I could awaken to another day in the safety of the Empire. But it was foolish to hope because a familiar stale smell suddenly filled my nostrils and my eyes shot open. I found myself on a familiar metallic floor.

 _The Hall of Echoes again?_

But when I brought my head up, I was surprised but then terrified. Before me were the Seven gods. But the terrifying part was seeing the mighty gods tangled in the tendrils of a glowing willow tree. Each of them hung from the tree with faces that displayed pain.

My eyes shifted between the god of elves, humans, dwarves, imps, orcs, wizards and finally lizards. I walked over to where Zorl-Stissa hung. Her eyes were closed and her lips moved but no words came out of them.

Seeing the great Zorl-Stissa and every other god like this filled me with dread. Yesterday, she told me a new era was coming and I was to help our people rise to the top. But I never imagined something like this would happen. Who could have done this? What could have done this?

I looked around trying to figure out how to help her. When I looked at the tendrils ensnaring Zorl-Stissa, I noticed they gave off a dark aura that looked the same as the aura from the cursed lever in the tower. I reached into my body to ready a blessing. But when I did, I realized I was completely empty. I had no source. I'd used it all to expel the combustion spell put into me.

When I looked back at Zorl-Stissa. I noticed something dripping from her foot. The next drip fell and landed into a puddle under her. It was source. She was bleeding source. I kneeled and brought my hand into the puddle. As soon as my hand touched the liquid, the entire puddle was sucked through the tip of my finger into my body. My body felt famished. I stood up and looked at Zorl-Stissa. I channeled my newly acquired source and gave a blessing onto the strangled goddess.

Her body glowed brighter and the cursed tendrils slackened. The goddess inhaled sharply. She exhaled and inhaled again and again until the wheezing became a hum. A hum that transitioned into a gently wavering song.

" _A champion I called. My champion did come. First among my chosen, first among them. Together we gazed into the black. We turned out backs to it, we turned, we turned._ "

She looked down at me with her onyx eyes. They showed a mixture of despair and pain, but also a ting of hope.

"You have come, my chosen," she said. "It is not too late. Not yet. But almost!"

The weakened tone of her voice unsettled me.

"What happened here?" I asked her. "The gods were fighting each other the last time I was here."

"Yes…" the Goddess replied. "…and while we quibbled, an enemy greater than any one of us stole in like a thief in the night. But…here you are. My chosen, my Godwoken, our hope. You will undo what has been done. I saw it as I drifted here, at the midpoint between reality and oblivion…"

Her eyes wandered to the horizon of metallic spires.

"I saw…I saw… Rivellon, but there was no Rivellon. There were no people. No Ancient Empire. None of our people. None of our great works. I grow cold now, even thinking about it."

She returned her gaze to me.

"It was not a dream, Godwoken. It was a threat. A promise from our enemy. The enemy you and you alone can stop. It was a vision of the void and it made me tremble with fear…"

Hearing a god say she was afraid only made me tremble even more.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked her.

"You must obey me!" She replied. "Soon the Seven will be nothing but morsels in the maws of the Void, unless you do as I bid you. Do what I blessed you for! You have already set loose some of the powers locked within you, but there is a great well of possibility as yet untapped. You cannot stop until you ascend to the highest heights of your power. You cannot stop until you become Divine. Like Lucian, you will be called to unite the powers of the Seven against the Void. Like Lucian, you will lead our proud people to pre-eminence. But unlike Lucian, your weakness will not lead you to foolish failure."

I raised my brow.

 _Weakness?_

Before I could ask her any more questions, the tendrils of the tree started to tighten again causing her to gag. As the branches constricted her chest, her head jerked side to side, searching for something unseen.

"You…you must hurry. I hear it singing to me."

She began to sing the melody, almost as if she was delirious.

" _Fire and ice; death and skulls; blackness, blackness…"_

As she sung, I could feel a piercing cold in my heart that started to burn though my body. It grew larger and larger until…

" _GO!"_

* * *

I gasped and my eyes shot open. I heard three other gasps from behind me. I turned around and sure enough, the three other Godwoken stood before me. Their faces were the same as mine.

It was then I realized all four of us were back on the deck of the Lady Vengeance. But we weren't sailing the seas anymore. Instead, the ship was sailing through the mists of the Hall of Echoes. The livewood creaked and groaned as it effortlessly floated through the empty air between the spires. I looked at my partners and decided to be the first to discuss our revelation.

"The gods are dying," I said. I felt my body going numb from the realization. "If the forces of the void could do that, what are our chances of stopping them?"

The Red Prince snorted and leaned forward.

"The gods are dead," he said. "If the Seven should indeed come to nothing, I'll be ready to take their place."

Both Ifan and Sebille gave him a suspicious look. But they immediately wiped it from their faces. Sebille was next to speak.

"What can yet be blessed can yet be restored. One or another, divinity will survive, through all of you, and all of me!"

Ifan had the same amount of enthusiasm when he spoke.

"The Void has been pushed back before, by the power of mortals. The gods couldn't handle it. But maybe we can."

Hearing all three of their replies filled me with more confidence. I straitened my body.

"Well it's reassuring that you three have more confidence than I do about this," I said. I looked over the empty deck of the Lady Vengeance. "Still, where is everybody else?"

Everyone shrugged. I looked over to the hatch to the lower levels. I took the first steps and everyone else followed. We descended into the ship to be greeted by the same emptiness as the top deck.

"Hello?" my shout echoed through the ship. No one replied. But when I focused my ears, I could hear faint noises coming from the level below. We opened the next hatch and descended into the cargo hold. When we looked over the balcony, we saw a gathering of people in the front of the hold.

We scampered down the stairs. Everyone turned to us when we arrived. The group included Malady, Cork, Gareth, Tarquin, Han, Sandy, Trice, Paulie and one remaining Seeker.

Was this all that was left of the Seekers? There were at least two dozen Seekers when we met them on the island, half of that after we took over the Lady Vengeance. And now there was only one other than Gareth and Malady.

Malady held her hands before her breast. A glowing green energy radiated from her palms.

"Where have you been?" she said in a rather annoyed tone. "I can't keep this up much longer. We need to go."

I raised my brow.

"Wait, what happened?"

Malady rolled her eyes and sighed with irritation. The energy in her hands started to crackle.

"There's no time," Malady said. "Brace yourselves. This might hurt… a lot."

I immediately dashed over to the children just as the energy in Malady's hands exploded.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** As always, a review goes a long way and thank you for reading my story. See you next chapter.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

In one moment, I felt my back slam onto the floor with three little bodies slamming on top of me. But the next, I found myself standing upright with my feet on solid wood. When I opened my eyes, I found myself back on the deck of the Lady Vengeance. I turned around to see all three of my partners and all three children were standing there with me. I looked above to see a dark sky with a red light crawling over it. On the Horizon, the sun peeked over the distant treetops of dry land. The Lady Vengeance had returned to the realm of the living.

The sudden sounds of coughing caused me to turn around. Hunched over the wheel of the ship, Malady croaked. Before I could approach her, she held up her hand.

"One moment please," she said. "Just a moment."

With a snorting inhale, she gagged and spat out a massive glob of source that puddled at her feet.

"Ewwww," the children exclaimed. Malady inhaled through her cleared nostrils and sighed with a rather pleasant disposition.

"Much better. Let's not do that again anytime soon, hmm?"

I looked over at my companions who gave the same look as I did. I nodded.

"Very good," Malady said. She shifted her gaze to the coast.

"Ah, Reaper's Coast," she said. "And directly ahead, Driftwood. Right where we need to be. If I remember correctly, Driftwood is under Magister jurisdiction. It'd be best to anchor in the nearby cove and take the lifeboat to shore."

The Red Prince took a step forward.

"Before we do anything, might I ask why you've brought us to Driftwood?"

Malady narrowed her only exposed eye before looking at me again.

"Because Meister Siva is waiting for you," Malady said. "She's the founder of the Seekers."

She looked over at deck of the Lady Vengeance. When I looked myself, I saw Gareth leaning on the railing of the edge of the ship. The other four on the deck were Han, Cork, Tarquin and a single remaining lizard Magister.

"Or rather, was," Malady corrected herself. "Regardless, the Meister is dying to meet a genuine Godwoken. You'll find her in one of those buildings in Driftwood. Her…home. Yes, that's what it's called. First one on the right from the south entrance."

She turned around and took ahold of the wheel of the ship.

"It'd be best to prepare yourself, Godwoken. Meeting Meister Siva will only be the first step of your journey."

She turned the wheel and the Lady Vengeance allowed Malady to take control. The ship gently swerved clear of the port and headed towards a secluded cove. I looked over at the others standing before me.

"She's right," Ifan spoke first. "If we're going to do anything from this point on, we're going to need to have our supplies and equipment in check. We should scrounge what we can from the ship before we head out."

The rest of us looked at each other and nodded in agreement. We moved down the stairs to the main deck. I stopped when I looked over at Gareth. I told the others I'd meet with them in a little bit. As they went down the stairs, I approached Gareth slowly and stopped behind him on his right.

"I'm… so sorry about your people, Gareth," I said.

Gareth dipped his head and sighed. It was then I noticed that I hadn't seen any of the fallen Seekers' bodies. They must have vanished when the Lady Vengeance passed through the Hall of Echoes. It looked like Gareth wouldn't be able to give his fallen brethren proper burials like he'd hope. Gareth took a deep breath and turned toward me. His eye showed some renewed fortitude.

"There really isn't anything we can do for them now," he said. "The best way to honor them is to make sure you complete your journey."

I didn't respond right away and only looked absently left and right.

"I suppose so," I said.

"Don't blame yourself for what happened, Mahalia," Gareth said. "In fact, we'd never have made it out alive if it weren't for you and your friends."

I gave a small grin.

"Thanks," I said. Gareth nodded.

"You should go and prepare. I'll man the lifeboat to bring you ashore when you're ready."

"Thanks again," I nodded, and he did the same.

I retreated into the ship. I found Ifan at a workshop tuning his crossbow while the children watched him work. On the other side, the Red Prince and Sebille ran through the armory looking for suitable weapons and armor. Ifan noticed me approach.

"That crossbow working just fine?" I asked.

"Just need to make sure she's in peek condition after all the arrows she's shot so far," Ifan said. He looked over at a pile of powder, vials of varying substances, and metal cases that were molded into arrow-like shapes.

"It's a good idea to make some special arrowheads," Ifan said.

"Like what?" I asked.

"Some of the usual; exploding arrows, poison arrows, water arrows, oil arrows, even electrical arrows."

Hearing him talk about the elements gave my mind a spark. If he had arrows of the elements, then his arrows and my spells would go in conjunction with one another. Then I reflected on my own skills. I only knew about standard elemental abilities having only to focus on the basics. If I were to undertake the task of ascending to Divinity, then I needed to expand my skills. I looked over at the children.

"May I ask you to join me in looking for some spell books in the states room?"

The children all stood up at attention.

"We'd love to, Mahalia," Paulie said and the others nodded.

I nodded and smiled. We went down the stairs to the states room. Tarquin was absent from the room. No doubt stretching his legs and happy to be out of his prison. The four of us looked through the books on the shelves. It was fascinating for me seeing this vault of knowledge. If I wasn't involved in a quest to save Rivellon, I would love to spend hours looking through the books. But because of our short timetable, I had to skim through the pages to find the books that contained the techniques of casting better spells.

The children cheered when they found a book that taught several basic Geomancy spells. Geomancy wasn't a favorite area for my training, but I figured it'd be useful to learn these spells.

With every book skimmed through, we managed to find eight spell books in total. Unfortunately, five of them were pertained to the arts of necromancy. I grimaced when I found those books. The three books we found were basic spells for Geomancy, defensive spells for Hydromancy, and a book that contained spells for physical and mental wellbeing. It wasn't much but it was a start.

"You've been a great help," I told the children.

"Thank you," the children said. I noticed Sandy had looked away. As if he had an idea, but realized it wasn't going to work.

"Is there something bothering you Sandy?"

"If you're going out there to save Rivellon, does that mean we'll be stuck here on the ship until you come back?"

I understood where Sandy was coming from. Having to wait on a ship while my companions and I went off to do what needed to be done. It sounded like it was going to be a tedious affair.

"Well, you know that there isn't anywhere that's safe for Sourcerers other than-"

I suddenly remembered something.

"Hold on," I said. "Paulie, that night on the prison ship, you said your mother's alive?"

"Yes," Paulie said. "I said she's afraid of Lizards. But she'd love to meet you after I tell her what you've done for us."

"That's sweet of you," I said. "Do you know where she is?"

"She lives in a town next to an oil field. I think it was South of the town Driftwood."

My eyes widened. I looked over at Trice and Sandy.

"What about you two? Do you still have family?"

They both shook their heads.

"My parents died when I was only three," Trice said. "I was sent to an orphanage where I met Sandy and lived there ever since."

I looked over at Sandy next.

"I never knew my parents," Sandy said. "I grew up in the orphanage all my life."

I looked back at Paulie.

"If I get the chance, I'll go and find your mother. We'll find a safe place for you to go and she'll take care of all of you."

The children looked at each other. I could see conflicting faces of worry, excitement and indecision.

"Does that mean you have to leave us, Mahalia?" Trice asked.

I looked away for a moment and pondered. All the complications started to manifest at the same time. Divinity, Brell, my parents, and now these children were worried they wouldn't see me again.

"I'm not going to leave you just yet," I said. "We need to take things one step at a time. The first one is me seeing the Meister. The next one will be finding Paulie's mother. After that, we'll figure out what we'll do next. Is that okay?"

The children nodded. I smiled and patted each of them on the head. I took the books we found and proceeded to the level above where the others were waiting. All three of them had backpacks at their side with a fourth one I assumed was for me.

"Found some spell books, I see," Ifan said.

"Going to have to practice them while we're on the road," I said. "By the way, thank you for getting things ready."

I took the bag and I noticed something inside it.

Ifan grinned. He looked over at Sebille. I did too.

"We… made some sandwiches for our breakfast," Sebille said.

I pulled out the combination of bread, meat, cheese and vegetables from my bag.

"Well, thank you," I said with a smile.

Sebille cracked a smile. We suddenly felt the ship come to a stop and heard a distant splash from the front of the ship.

"Seems the Lady Vengeance has anchored," the Red Prince said. "Shall we depart?"

Ifan stood up and nodded.

"Time to see what awaits us on this divine adventure," he said.

Everyone started to walk away but something caught my eye. There was shield on the workbench. Having remembered what happened during the battle last night, I grabbed the heavy piece of metal and brought it with me.

"Changing battle tactics?" the Red Prince asked as we ascended the stairs.

"Just a little protection to have if our enemies get too close," I said adjusting it to fit my arm.

"Smart thinking," the Red Prince said back. "Good defense is just as important as good offence."

I cracked a grin. The four of us emerged into the bright sunlight that peered through the trees around the cove. The Lady Vengeance was free from prying eyes thanks to the trees. We made our way over to the lifeboat where Gareth and Cork were waiting. I kneeled and gave each child a hug.

"Good luck, Mahalia," Trice said. I nodded.

"Before you leave…" Malady came up to me before I entered the boat. "If the Meister isn't exactly where she needs to be, it's best to remember something."

She beckoned me closer. I did so and she whispered into my ear.

"Zero, four, five, one."

She pulled her head back.

"Can you remember that? Or do you think you need to write it down?"

I tilted my head.

"I think I can remember it."

"Good. You'll know what to do if you need to do it."

Malady walked away. I entered the boat followed by Cork. Both he and Gareth pulled the ropes lowering the boat down until it touched the water. Once we were free, Gareth took the oars and steered the boat to shore.

"Before we go our separate ways, I must ask if you've seen any other monstrosities the Divine Order has concocted," Cork said.

"Only Shriekers which are like Ghists only they're crucified on poles and liquify anyone who they look at. All of those monstrosities are the result of the Divine Order using Braccus Rex's purging wand technology to suck the source out of Sourcerers."

I reached into my pocket and produced the Purging Wand.

"I believe this'll make for stronger evidence against the order," I said.

Cork took the wand and nodded his head. We had just hit shore and got out of the boat onto the wet sand. Cork stood before me.

"I thank you, Mahalia. For aiding me in my escape and providing me with evidence I can use against the Divine Order."

"You're welcome, Paladin Cork," I said. "Where will you go?"

"I'll meet with my Paladin brethren at the bridgehead north of here. Afterwards I'll make my way to Arx and report to the Grandmaster. Don't worry, I will not speak of your involvement to anyone."

"Thank you, Paladin Cork," I said.

"Of course. May the gods guide you on your quest for Divinity."

Cork bowed and walked up the beach into the brush of trees. I turned to Gareth. He looked over the sands of the beach to the northeast.

"You go on ahead to Driftwood," Gareth said to me. "I have relatives who live north of here. My mother and father. I've been… neglectful. I believe it's time I make amends"

"You most certainly should," I said. "Nothing's more important than family."

Gareth smiled. He pulled out a map.

"If you have spare time, you should come and visit. My parents live in a small cottage on the edge of Paradise Downs."

He pointed to a spot west of Driftwood on the map. My eyes memorized the roads leading to it.

"We'll be sure to do that once we talk with the Meister," I said.

Gareth nodded.

"I wish you well, Mahalia," Gareth said. He moved across the sands in the same direction Cork took. That left all four of us on the beach.

"Off on our grand journey to Divinity, wouldn't you say?" the Red Prince said.

"Indeed," Sebille said.

We walked up the beach and through the tree line. We continued through the brush until we arrived at a road. We looked up at a sign that pointed the directions of the settlements on Reaper's Coast. To the East, Paradise Downs. To the North, Driftwood. We moved North.

As we walked the road to the town, we pulled out our sandwiches and ate them as we walked. When we had finished them, I simply took in the feel of the land I walked through. When I first arrived at Reaper's Coast on the way to Arx, I remember the caravan passing through the towns. The air was very different than it was in the Empire. Instead of dry and hot air enveloping my scales and warming my cold blood, the air was humid and cooler. I had felt the wetness of rain from the spells I cast in training. But having the humid air be this constant, it was really a step into a new world. Not to mention my first experience sailing the seas on the ship that brought me from the Empire to Reaper's Coast.

We continued up the road until we reached the bridge that led to Driftwood. As expected, there were several Magisters guarding it along with a pair of source hounds with them.

"We won't be able to get through that way," I said. "Not without alerting the whole town."

"Perhaps not _through_ ," Ifan said. He shifted his gaze up the stream the bridge stretched over. "But perhaps _around_."

I looked over at where he was looking. Up the steam was a brush of boulders and bushes that concealed a little hopping stone path across. From the angle of the Magisters on the bridge, it looked like they couldn't see it. We walked past the bridge and one by one, we hopped across the stream unseen. We emerged on the other side from behind a stable next to the bridge. None of the Magisters noticed us and we went directly into the town.

Driftwood was a busy market town with several shops set up in the middle of the square. The people who made up most of the residence were dwarves and humans with a stray lizard and elf here and there. But the main attraction was the fishery. From the corner we stood, we could see barrels, crats and wagons full of fish all around the docks. But the disappointing part was the smell. It wasn't the usual uncooked fish smell, instead it was a rotten smell that was familiar.

"You reckon that smell is the handywork of the voidwoken?" Sebille asked.

"No doubt," I said. It was the same smell I smelled when I had the Voidwoken guts all over me. The voidwoken must have tainted the fish Driftwood harvested. That would surly hurt the town's exports.

Regardless of the smell, we made our way to the first house on the right. The house, along with the other buildings, were made of wood. It was a large contrast to the home I grew up in the Empire. Because wood was scarce, permanent homes were made of stone while other homes, preferably those of lower classes, were large tents that could be moved frequently.

We walked onto the porch of the house and found the front door was slightly ajar. I raised an eyebrow and a suspicious feeling settled in my stomach. I slowly moved to the door and gently pushed it open. There was no one inside. All there was inside was a mess. A jolt of fear surged into me.

"The Magisters have already been here," I said.

"But the real question is 'Where exactly is the Meister herself?'" the Red Prince said.

"She could be in the holding cells underneath the Magister headquarters," Sebille said.

If that were true, then we were in serious trouble. But then I remembered.

"Zero, four, five, one," I muttered to myself.

"What?" Sebille asked.

My eyes scanned the mess until it landed on a corner of the room with an undisturbed painting on the wall. As I walked over to it, a grin grew on my face.

"Don't tell me the Divine Order would overlook artwork in their search."

I took ahold of the painting and gently took it off the wall. Sure enough, a button sat in the middle of where the painting used to be.

"Apparently they did," Ifan said. "Seems they've stooped to a lower level after I left."

I pressed the button. With a large click, our attention was diverted to the bed that lay on the other side of the room. It reclined up against the wall revealing a hatch underneath. The Red Prince arrived at it first. The rest of us nestled behind him as he kneeled and observed it.

"This seems to be locked with a mechanism," the Red Prince said.

"Mind if I have a crack at it?" I said. The Red Prince nodded and stepped aside.

I kneeled and looked at the mechanism. There were four dials with numbers on each. I gave a small "Ha" as I turned the dials to the combination Malady told me. After that, I pressed the button next to the dials. A handle popped up. I pulled on the handle and the hatch budged open. I heaved it open to reveal a ladder leading down into a basement of some sort.

"Hopefully she's here," I said.

"Don't worry she is," a voice from below called up to us. A female Lizard clad in black and white robes walked into view. She must be the Meister.

"I've been waiting for you, Godwoken," she said. "Come on down. Everything's here so we can get started."

She walked out of view wanting us to follow. We entered one by one. When my talons touched the stone floor, I saw an assortment of things scattered around. In the left corner was a makeshift chemistry station while in the right corner was an oven with a large cabinet next to it. But the thing that stood out the most were a pile of prism shaped relics that glowed a familiar green. Right next to it was a large glass fountain that contained…Source. So much source that not even a hundred sourcerers could possibly draw every drop from it. Having seen it made me realize how empty I was of source after the battle to escape from Dallis.

The Meister stood by a table and bowed her head.

"Welcome the Driftwood, Godwoken," the Meister said. "Apologies for a rather informal meeting. I am Meister Siva. I had to hide from the Magisters because they caught wind of me shortly after the news of Alexander's death reached Driftwood."

I raised an eyebrow.

"How'd you know we're Godwoken?"

"Only two people in Rivellon know the combination to the vault door. Me and Malady. Since I was down here, you had to be have sent by Malady if you knew the code to open the vault door."

I pursed my lips and titled my head in acknowledgment.

The Meister took a seat in one of the chairs by the table.

"Take a seat," she motioned to the four vacant seats. We did so. Once all the seats were taken, the Meister leaned forward with her arms on the table.

"I'm rather impressed Malady managed to find a Godwoken, let alone four. Though that does make this a little more complicated."

"You mean because only one of us can become Divine?" I caught on.

She didn't nod or shake her head. She only looked at us as if she was evaluating each of us.

"Tell me," she said still shifting her eyes between each of us. "Do you know what it means to have the power of the Divine?"

Her eyes locked onto the Red Prince first. He took the cue and gave his response.

"It's to do what they please with the power they've earned," the Red Prince said.

The Meister said nothing and moved her head to Ifan. She must be testing us. Trying to find the person who answered correctly.

"To make the world a better place?" Ifan said. Like before, the Meister moved her head to Sebille next.

"To right the wrongs of those who wish to take advantage of others?" Sebille answered. The Meister then looked over at me. The answer must have been something else. I answered something that I believed to be in the middle ground of all the prior responses.

"To accept the responsibility of others?" I answered. This time, her mouth cracked a smile.

"Quite so," she said. She kept her gaze on me as she continued. "To accept Divinity is to accept responsibility for the lives of every person and beast that walks Rivellon. If granted Divinity, you would have the power of all seven gods at your disposal. You could heal any wound, pull islands from the sea, right any injustice. But make no mistake, the Divine has only one duty: to protect this world from the Void. The Divine cannot use their power for anything else."

There was a silence that ruled over the table. The Meister kept her eyes on me until I nodded to her.

"I understand," I said.

The Meister then looked at the others. They all nodded in response. From the look in her eye, I could see she had doubt with the others.

"Very well then," she said. "Let's see if we can't snatch Divinity from the jaws of the Void."

She looked over at the cabinet by the oven.

"You'll find what you need in the cabinet there," the Meister said. "Just follow the instructions in the tome next to it and you'll be on your way toward Divinity."

It was our cue to rise from our seats. I started walking toward the cabinet.

"Oh," the Meister said. "And be sure to have an ample amount of source in your bodies before you start the ritual. Otherwise it won't work."

She looked over to the fountain of Source on the back wall.

"Thank you," I said. I looked at the others. "I'll start setting things up while you top off on your source."

"Will do," Ifan said. He motioned everyone else to follow while I continued to the cabinet. I looked at the open pages of the tome. It showed a list of what was needed. A bowl, blackroot, blood, and a fire source. I went over to the cabinet and opened it. Like what the book said, the blackroot and bowl were there. Instead of blood, there was a small lance made of obsidian that lay next to the jar of blackroot. That must be the way to get blood for the ritual. I took all three things into my hands and returned to the tome. The instructions said to put the blackroot into the bowl and pour a spot of blood onto it. Afterwards, add flames and inhale the fumes.

 _Sounds simple enough._

I placed the bowl on the floor with enough space for the four of us to sit around it. I carefully pulled the Blackroot from the jar and put it into the bowl. The others came over to me having finished topping themselves off.

"Take a seat around the bowl. I'll be back."

I stood up and went to the fountain as the others sat around the bowl. I turned the valve and a steady stream of source flowed out. I held out my hand and the source fused into it. I felt my body fill with the source until the moment I was full. I turned the valve off and the stream of source stopped. I walked to the others and sat down at my spot. I took the lance from the ground and brought it to my hand. Carefully, I glided the blade over the scales of my palm, and it cut clean through. I winced from the pain but shrugged it off as I squeezed my hand to let out a trickling stream of blood onto the blackroot. After a good amount of blood covered the blackroot, I pulled my hand back and muttered my healing spell. The cut closed seamlessly. I sighed with relief and looked at my partners one last time.

"Alright. When I set this one fire, we need to inhale the fumes and let it take over."

"Ready when you are," Ifan said. Sebille and the Red Prince nodded. I nodded back and aimed my mouth at the bowl. With much focus, I channeled the burning in my chest and let out a very small ball of fire that sparked onto the root. The flames grew until the whole bowl was ablaze like a small campfire. The fumes from the fire rose up and engulfed all our faces. I inhaled a large whiff of the fumes. Unfortunately, it wasn't a pleasant experience like the smell of incense did. It burned my lungs, in a bad way unlike my fire breath and made my mind feel like it was being pulled away. I did my best to not cough and kept pulling the smoke into my body. Before I knew it, my mind had left my body.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I've decided to condense the meeting with the Meister. Saving her from the gallows felt like filler and only stalled the story. Also, the way you can persuade the executioner to let her go didn't make sense, to me at least.

I must ask, am I giving enough detail or too much? I haven't read A Song of Ice and Fire so I don't know how detailed I should be. Also, is the pacing good? Do I need to have more internal thoughts from Mahalia or is it a good amount as it is?

I ask because this chapter turned out to be longer than I expected. I want to figure out what to focus on to make this as good as possible while at the same time making it easy to read and getting these out as quick as I can without burning myself out.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always, a review goes a long way. Thank you and see you next chapter.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

I awoke standing once again in the Hall of Echoes. But this time, instead of seeing the seven gods strung up in the branches of a cursed tree, I saw… myself. It was like standing before a mirror only the image before me was whole and living. But she looked pale and weaker than I felt. When she opened her mouth, her voice was a feeble echo of my own.

"My chosen! Come…come closer…so that you may see me…as I truly am…"

Cautiously, I took a single step closer.

"Look me…in the eyes…"

With a fidgeting jerk, she clasped her shaking hands to my head. My instincts told me to pull myself away, but my mind knew this had to be part of the ritual. As my doppelganger's hands shook, I felt an energy move from her palms and surge through my head to my eyes. A swirl of colors and lights flowed across my vision causing me to blink multiple times. It continued until everything seemed to return to normal.

"Blind eyes…shine brightly…"

My second self pulled her hands away and stood back.

"Speak the spell…and see…"

In my mind, words spoke to me. I closed my eyes and repeated the words. I felt a surge of energy flow through my head until it manifested in my eyes. It was like liquid energy had created a new lens on top of my pupils. When I opened my eyes, the image of myself was gone. In her place, Zorl-Stissa had returned.

Before I could say anything, she raised her hand in front of me. I felt the source in my body shift. The source flowed right out of my chest into Zorl-Stissa's hand. Once the last of my source was taken out, the goddess hunched over and panted as if gasping for breath after a long uninterrupted drink.

"Ah yes, just what I needed!" the Goddess regained her composure. "I tell you: dying just doesn't become a god."

 _Dying…_

Hearing her say that single word reaffirmed my worries after the last time we spoke to each other. "So…you really are dying, aren't you?"

She gave me a look that I could only interpret as a half confirmation.

"The Void itself is hunting down the gods, leeching us in ways we never thought possible. Droplet by droplet we are being drained. We're battling for our very survival. It's a battle we're losing, and should we truly lose, ALL will be cast into oblivion."

"Then…what am I supposed to do now?" I asked.

"You must realize that our fates are now as one, just as our souls are now as one. We are I. Together we are a force to be reckoned with, but if we seek to survive the onslaught of the Void, we stand no chance unless we become vastly more powerful than we are now. That means there is but one place we can go: The Well of Ascension."

My eyes widened as a memory from my studies emerged.

"You mean the birthplace of the gods?"

"It most certainly will be. A pool of pure Source in which the powers of the Seven lie united. We gave them up freely to create the first Divine. Each of us donated half of that which makes us gods. To bathe in the lake, is to become our chosen. That is where the road to Divinity leads. And you must be the first to reach it at all costs."

The same statement came onto me. I must be the one, no one else.

"Why only me? Why is it important that I be the one? You gave a portion of your power to Lucian the last time. A human. Why is it important that a lizard is to be the next Divine?"

"The Void is stronger than ever, child. A new Divine won't be enough. You need to go to the Well of Ascension not to bathe in the Source of the Seven, but to take it. All of it. Only she who claims everything will be everything. The Void's doom; this world's liberator."

 _More power than the last Divine?_

"The power of all the gods?" I asked. "What will become of the others if I claim it?"

"The other gods will either bow to you or be undone! But of course, that is what they are saying to their own Godwoken as we speak. We both know they won't bow, just like we both know you will never bow to them. Only one can become a god strong enough to safeguard our world. One, at the expense of all others. So, make no mistake my champion: chances are the road to Divinity will be paved with dead gods, their blood on your murderous hands. But don't let that dismay you, for these sins will be washed clean by the knowledge you committed to save all of existence. To save your kin, and your loved ones, and the world they live in."

It wasn't enough that I spilled blood for the first time in my life only days ago along with dozens of monsters and people in the days that followed. Now I had to kill the gods too? But the moment she spoke of 'loved ones,' my parents and Brell came to my mind immediately. But the faces of Ifan, Trice, Paulie, Sandy and Sebille followed it.

"And the other races?" I asked.

"They will be at your mercy, which is vastly preferable to you being at theirs', wouldn't you agree?"

I gave a concerned look. Did it have to be this way? Us or them?

"So fret not, but revel in the promise of the lake!" the Goddess said. "I will lead you there when you're ready: when you've become a true Master of the Source and speak the language of creation itself. Our journey will be fraught with peril: pilgrimage of challenges that will require you to command Source like only a Godwoken can and wield its most powerful spells."

"You can't teach me yourself?"

Laughter suddenly emerged and echoed into the vast reaches of the ghostly realm.

"You flatter me, my chosen," the Goddess said. "But if all I had to do was give, you would long since have received. We are I now. The spells you need to know I will teach you when you are ready. But first you must learn to channel the Source in greater volumes. That is why you need to seek Masters of the Source. You must make them teach you, so that you may become a master in turn. So, return to Rivellon and seek out these sages where they dwell. Convince them to share with you their deep-seated bond with the Source. Once you have, you may return to me here."

It seemed I had accomplished what I was sent here to do. Zorl-Stissa had told me I needed to find Masters of Source. Once I had found them, she'd show me where to find the fabled Well of Ascension.

"Okay," I said. "I know what I must do."

"Best of luck, my champion," Zorl-Stissa brought her hand to my shoulder and looked deep into my eyes. I felt my body fading away back to the realm of the living.

* * *

My eyes shot open. My lungs gagged, coughing up the fumes we ingested. Around me, the others did the same thing.

"Still alive?" I heard the Meister's voice and turned my head to her. "Gods above, there might be something to you after all."

"You mean that ritual can actually kill people?" I asked accusingly. I got to my feet along with the others.

"Yes," the Meister's gaze wandered to a corner of the basement. "My apprentice was foolish enough to believe she was Godwoken and performed the ritual herself. I don't think I need to tell what happened next, do I?"

I shook my head.

"But thankfully you are Godwoken. That means you're not dead. Now tell me, what did you see?"

I told the Meister about our respective gods having put a part of themselves in our bodies, our new power of seeing beyond the realm of the living, the Well of Ascension and the most important part in that we needed to find Source Masters.

"You can't channel enough Source?" the Meister said with surprise but also disappointment. "Gods be damned, why couldn't you have a nice, simple problem. Finding an orc to dance the hornpipe, perhaps?"

I raised my brows.

"I'm assuming from your irritation that finding Source Masters is going to be difficult?"

"Indeed it will be difficult and indeed I'm irritated," the Meister sighed forcefully. "If you're curious, the thing that I'm most irritated about is that I could have helped you myself. But no…the Magisters had to include purging as a part of their 'service' after they got to me."

"What? I thought you said you hid down here."

"I did," she said. "After I escaped my cell under the Magister headquarters. They didn't suck everything to make me into a meat puppet, but enough to sever my link to the front from which all Source flows. But that's not important now. What is important is that you must go out into the wild and find some dangerous Source Masters."

The Meister crossed her arms and huffed. I looked over at my companions and they had the same concern as I did.

"So where do we go if we're to find these Source Masters?" I asked the Meister. She looked up into a corner of the vault, as if looking at something or somewhere through it.

"While they had me locked up, I saw a little ledger open on the table across from my cell. The magisters keep ledgers with all known Sourcerers. Especially the powerful ones not yet captured. But if that's not an option for you, I've no real idea how you'd figure out where to find the Source Masters unless you plan on wandering Reaper's Coast in hopes of stumbling across them."

I turned my head to Sebille.

"No need to ask me," she said immediately and stepped up to the Meister. "Any chance you can tell me how you escaped?"

The Meister looked up.

"I dug a little tunnel out of my cell," she said. "If you want to break in that way, there's a rock behind the Magister headquarters hiding the tunnel. Though it'll be difficult to get to the table through the bars of the cell."

Sebille produced a lockpick.

"Don't worry, I always have a way through doors," she said with a sly smile she showed to everyone. I smiled and nodded back.

"Well, I suppose that solves the problem of how to find the Source Masters," the Meister said. "The problem now will be how you'll convince them to help you."

"I suppose that means they aren't very cooperative?" I asked.

"Many of them are wicked, cruel, vile, and generally not good teacher material, but we may have no others to turn to."

"I see," I looked away. Our first steps towards Divinity were taken. Now our next steps were to find dangerous Source Masters to teach us to be more powerful with Source. It was a rather bumpy journey so far for me. But even with the shock of being thrown in this situation after having a comfortable life in the safety of the Empire, I felt a sense of vigor to go through with this. I had three talented people by my side and confidence that I could overcome more challenges like I did when I escaped Fort Joy.

I walked over and put a hand onto the Meister's chair.

"Regardless, I thank you for letting us know what to do next," I said. "We'll find them, and we'll clinch Divinity from the jaws of the Void."

"I'm pleased you have confidence, Godwoken," the Meister said. She got up from her seat and walked over to pick up the empty bowl and obsidian lance.

"If you would do me the biggest favor and not come back to this place again until a new Divine rises, I would be grateful," she handed the two items to me. "When you need to perform the ritual again, you can find fresh blackroot in Clositerwood north of here."

She walked over to the ladder, leading us out.

"Make sure you close the hatch after you leave," she said. "Goodbye and I wish you the best, Godwoken."

One by one, we ascended the ladder. Once we were out, I closed the hatch with the Meister giving a final wave goodbye before it was shut. Afterwards, the bed reclined back on top of the hatch. I walked over to the painting and put it back into place to conceal the button. Everything was back to how it was. Well, how it was before we arrived and after the Magisters stormed it. We walked out of the house onto the street.

"Alright then," I said. "Looks like we know what to do."

"Defiantly so," Sebille looked over at a two-storied building with Divine Order banners hanging on the walls. "How's about you three do some shopping until I get back?"

I looked over at the market stands in the square. I could see a weaponsmith along with a bookstore among others. With an enchanted coin purse, we most certainly would have enough to buy a few useful things.

"Just be sure not to get into trouble while we wait," I said purposely making our conversation vague to throw off prying ears.

"Don't worry," Sebille winked. "I'll meet you in the middle of town once I'm done."

We all nodded. Sebille walked up the street and out of sight. The three of us went into the market square and dispersed to our respective shops of interest. I walked over to the stand where a male dwarf displayed several books.

"My word, but you do look exhausted," the Dwarf said. "I bet you could use a touch of…magic."

"You have no idea," I smiled and ran my fingers over the covers of some of the books. I pulled out three books; advanced Areomancy spells, defensive pyromancy and advanced hydromancy.

"I believe these will do, good sir," I said. "I may have to come back when I have more space in my bag."

"I certainly hope so," the dwarf said with enthusiastic eyes. I brought out my coin purse and held it under the side of the counter to hide the size of it. I brought out a handful of gold then another.

"I believe that's enough," I said. "Keep the extra as a tip."

The dwarf graciously nodded his head and scooped the pile of gold into his lockbox behind the counter. I took the books and slipped them into my bag. The books from both the stand and the ship started to weigh me down in addition to the shield I decided to bring along. It probably would be a good idea to pawn the books after I read them so I wouldn't have to trek all the way back to the lady vengeance to drop them off. Or maybe I could ask the Red Prince to carry them in his bag since he was the strongest. Though I doubted he'd agree to something like that.

Regardless, I walked toward the fountain in the center of the square and watched as Ifan and the Red Prince stood at the huntsman and armorer merchant stands respectfully. I was about to open one of the books and read it while I waited, but I heard a human man shout to everyone in the square.

"Hear ye! Hear ye! Divine Order to march against the Ancient Empire."

My eyes widened. That didn't sound good. I walked over to the crier.

"What do you mean 'Divine order to march against the Ancient Empire'?"

"Word is your Empire has refused to surrender their Sourcerers to the Divine Order," the crier said. "Now the Order's going to hit your Empire and hit it hard!"

I brought my hand to my mouth in horror. The Divine Order was going to go to war against my people? A part of me admired the courage of the Empire to not give up our Sourcerers. But the rest of me was scared for my family and Brell. It seemed I wasn't going to be able to send my letter to them now that they were at war.

"That's preposterous!"

I looked behind me. The Red Prince had finished his shopping spree and wore a more refined set of lizard armor. He walked up next to me with his eyes on the crier.

"The Empire's armies far outnumber and outmatch any enemy that is foolish enough to attack our homeland!"

The crier only shrugged when he responded.

"Numbers and discipline might not matter when the Order has Deathfog in their arsenal."

I did my best to suppress a gasp.

"If you ask me, you two are lucky that you're outside the Empire now. I reckon it's gonna to be far worse than what happened to the Elves."

"Not if we can help it!" the Red Prince turned his gaze to me. I brought my hand down and nodded my head. The Red Prince walked away, and I followed him as the crier continued preaching his gossip. We met up with Ifan who had a quiver full of fancy new arrows on his back.

"Find what you were looking for?" Ifan asked.

"Yes," I said. "And we also found out we have a short timetable to stop the Divine Order before they destroy the Empire for our Sourcerers."

Ifan's face transformed to one of concern and reflection.

"The Order destroyed my family. I'll make sure they won't destroy yours."

"Thank you, Ifan," I smiled.

Just then, a familiar elf walked up to us with a piece of paper in her hand.

"Enjoy your little shopping spree?" Sebille asked.

"Pretty much," I responded. "Found what you needed?"

Sebille looked over at the paper in her hand with a smile of success on her face. Before she could reply, a scruffy human boy walked down the street and stopped right in front of Ifan.

"You Bin-Mezd?" the boy asked. Ifan raised an eyebrow.

"Who wants to know?" he asked back.

"A chap called Baran Levere," the boy said taking Ifan's response as a yes. "Black Bull Tavern. Second floor."

Just as quickly as the kid came up to us, he put his hands in his pockets and walked away whistling an off-beat tune.

"Who's Baran Levere?" I asked Ifan.

"Someone who may help us find where Roost is hiding," Ifan said. His words immediately got Sebille's attention along with the Red Prince. Ifan walked down the street with the rest of us following him. Ifan stopped in front of a building with a sign that read what the kid said: Black Bull Tavern.

We walked onto the porch and entered the Tavern. The inside was a bustle of patrons standing around with drinks and plates of food going around. Accompanying it all was a male Dwarf bard singing and playing his loot on top of a table.

" _Weep, my friends, for Alexander the Innocent,_

 _Killed by Sourcerers, a most vile incident._

 _A valiant warrior against the void,_

 _Taken too early, all hope destroyed._

 _The path thus ended, the conclusion of a noble bloodline…_

 _Who shall rise? Who gains the title most Divine?_

 _We wait, we wander and wonder, seeking signs from the gods…_

 _May the Seven usher us to paradise, against all the odds!_ "

It was amazing how word of Alexander's death could reach any corner of Rivellon so fast. Furthermore, how bards could put it into song that quickly too. A part of me wanted to say that we were the ones to take his place, but of course that would blow our cover and send all the Magisters in the town onto us.

We walked through the crowd of people up the stairs to the second floor. Several closed doors lined the walls with fewer people walking around. At the end of the hall past the balcony overlooking the lower level, two armored human guards stood at attention in front of a door. Ifan brought his hand up to follow him. We did so until we stopped in front of the guards.

"You the Silver Claw?" one guard said in a deep voice that matched his thug-like appearance.

"Why don't you bring your boss out here to answer that question himself?" Ifan said.

Immediately, the other guard brought up his hand and knocked on the door. After five seconds, the door opened to reveal a silken-robed noble man. He bellowed a laugh when his eyes locked onto Ifan. Ifan did the same and walked pasted the guards embracing the noble like old friends who haven't seen each other for a long time. When the embrace ended, I noticed the man's beard was falling off his own face. It was a disguise. Ifan chuckled some more helping put the fake beard back on. After that, the two men retreated to a desk in the corner of the room. I was about to ask the guards if we could enter to join the conversation, but a voice came from behind us. We turned to find a pale scaled lizard man standing before the three of us.

"My good lady!" the lizard said in a whispery voice of an aging lizard that matched his appearance. "I see that you accompany no other than His Royal Majesty, the Red Prince! I have a message or him of quite vital importance."

Sebille was the one to ask the question this time.

"Is this your Brahmos the Wanderer you've been looking for?" she asked the Red Prince.

"No," the pale Lizard replied sharply. He looked erratically around the room before he beckoned us to follow him to a secluded corner of the room. We did so and the lizard humbly kneeled before the Prince.

"I was bid to send you to none other than Brahmos the Wanderer! He was waiting for you here, my prince, but…but…"

He looked around the room again before he continued.

"The House of Shadows stirs, milord! The honorable Brahmos sensed them closing in. He had no choice but to flee from Driftwood. A little way east he went, in search of safety, to an encampment of Paladins. You will find him there, Majesty."

 _Encampment of Paladins? The same one Cork retreated to?_

The Red Prince took a step forward and brought out his hand to the humbled lizard.

"We will follow your directions. You have my thanks, kinsman."

The lizard gently grasped the tips of the Prince's fingers. He bowed his head like he was in the presence of a god.

"Prince of princes, I am humbled and grateful!"

The Lizard let go of the Prince's hand and kept his bow until the Red Prince walked away. At the same time, Ifan had emerged from the room. The look on his face showed he had vital information he was ready to share with us.

"I know where we need to go," Ifan said.

"As do I," the Red Prince said.

Sebille held up the paper from before. "Best to sit down to discuss where we should go first, don't you think?"

Everyone nodded including myself. In the corner of the room was a vacant table, secluded from the rest of the patrons on the current level and the floor below. We sat down at the table and Ifan brought out the map of Rivellon. He pointed to a spot on the map to the north east. A region called the Cullwoods.

"My friend says Roost and the Lone Wolves are encamped in a sawmill in the northern region of the Cullwoods. If we go on foot, we should be able to reach it in about three hours."

"That's fine and all," the Red Prince said. "However, while you were conversing with your fellow kin, I have discovered that Brahmos the Wanderer has retreated from this town to a bridge to the North East. The same bridge our Paladin comrade has moved to."

Ifan looked at the map again and moved his finger to a bridge.

"Well you're in luck," Ifan said. "The bridge is on the way to the sawmill. How's about we head to the bridgehead, meet with your Wanderer friend, then head to find Roost?"

"Sound's reasonable," the Red Prince said.

"First part of the plan's been made," Sebille put the paper onto the map. "But how's about we also plan for what happens after?"

We leaned in and read the words on the paper.

 _Sourcerers – Most Wanted_

 _Mordus: Dwarf. Suspected links to local Dwarven malefactors. Last seen – Driftwood vicinity. Rumored to be hiding along the coast of Reaper's Bluffs._

 _Ryker: Elf. Known Lone Wolf affiliate. Not to be challenged by our forces, by order of the White Magisters. Last seen – Stonegarden Cemetery._

 _Hannag: Lizard. Beware of powerful portal magic. Last seen – Hosted by large family in the Blackpits._

 _Almira: Human, Black Ring. Last seen – Captured and taken by the White Magisters._

 _Saheila: Elf. Blind mystic. Last seen – Captured and sent to Fort Joy._

 _Ifan ben-Mezd: Human. Lone Wolf assassin. Last seen – Captured and sent to Fort Joy._

 _Addendum: There remains suspicion of Sourcerer activity on the northern end of Bloodmoon island. The island itself is currently inaccessible to our forces._

Reading the list and looking at the map gave a very broad picture about where we needed to go. But two names caught my eye. Ifan's name was there. But that was because he was a wanted man on his own and not because he was a Source Master. The other was Saheila. She was a Source Master. And we left her behind at Fort Joy.

 _Damn it!_

"Looks like none of them are on our way to the Sawmill," Sebille said.

"But there is one at a location I need to go to," I said. Everyone looked at me.

"Paulie told me his mother lives by the Blackpits. I want to find her so she can look after the children."

I put my finger on the map south of Driftwood.

"I don't want to change the current plan. Once we find Brahmos and Roost, I request we head down to the Blackpits to find Hannag and Paulie's mother, Byres."

Sebille put her finger down on the map between Driftwood and the Black Pits.

"It looks like this Ryker fellow is along the way to the Blackpits in the Stonegarden Cemetery."

The Red Prince put his own two index fingers on the northern side of the map. First at the region known as Reaper's Bluffs and the other to the East of Reaper's Bluffs called Bloodmoon Island.

"It seems the other two Source Masters the Magisters know the locations of are to the north."

Ifan put everything together in his head. He put his finger on the map while pulling out an ink pot and feather quill.

"Alright. The plan is to head to the bridge then to the sawmill," he marked the locations with numbers in the order he said them.

"Then we go back to the bridge and head south to Stonegarden Cemetery on our way to the Blackpits. Afterwards, we should head back to Driftwood before we head out to Reaper's Bluffs and then Bloodmoon Island."

"That sounds like an efficient and well-made plan," I said. Everyone nodded. We all stood up and Ifan put the map and his quill away. I took a deep breath as I thought about what was laid before us. Ifan brought his hand up.

"I've got your backs if you have mine."

One by one, we put our hands-on top of each other. We looked at each other and dispersed. We walked out of the tavern ready to embark on our grand adventure to save Rivellon.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** If you were going to suggest to me that it was a golden opportunity to include the Bard Song in this chapter, I didn't find it to be appropriate to include it just yet. But keep an eye out. 😉

Anyway, thank you so much for the feedback. It's been very helpful in making me want to make this the best I can make it. As always, a review goes a long way and thank you for reading my story. See you next chapter.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

We traversed the road north for about an hour. The roads were relatively clear, and the cool summer breeze blew through the trees. Seeing, touching, smelling, hearing and even tasting everything around me gave me a very calming feeling. At times I had forgotten the world was on the verge of being annihilated. I felt a peace within me.

In the Empire, most of the lands were barren stretches of sand with plants growing alongside rivers and natural springs. Water was precious. Therefore, life was precious. But here, life was abundant. Trees spread far beyond the rivers and creeks. Animals were more prevalent as well. Birds flew over our heads and sang pleasant melodies while woodland creatures like squirrels and rabbits scampered away when we got close to them.

Though I was far from the familiar sands of home, I felt a certain comfort in this land.

We had reached a clearing in the foliage. Straight ahead was the bridge we saw on the map. Paladins patrolled around the stone works and along the walls with several blue tents laced with gold linings set up.

"Be sure not to drop Cork's name around here," I said out of earshot. The others nodded.

As we approached, the Paladins noticed us and stood at attention. One of them who sat at a desk stood up.

"You must be the Red Prince," the Paladin said. The Red Prince in turn walked straight to the desk.

"It seems my presence is known beyond the walls of the Empire," the Red Prince said standing proudly.

"Actually, I only know of you because one of your kin passed through here yesterday," the Paladin said. The Red Prince's stance deflated while I heard Sebille suppressed a chuckle behind us.

"So Brahmos did come through here?" the Red Prince asked.

The Paladin nodded.

"He told me if a red lizard like yourself was to come through here, I would tell you where he's waiting for you."

The Paladin pointed across the bridge.

"He said to meet him in the Stonegarden Cemetery to the south."

The same place we were going to find one of the Source Masters.

"You have my thanks," the Red Prince bobbed his head.

The Paladin nodded. He sat back down and resumed writing in his book. We left the Paladins to their duties and crossed the bridge. We came to a fork in the road. We looked up at the signpost. The arrow pointing north read Cullwoods. While two signs that pointed south read Blackpits and Stonegarden Cemetery.

"Seems the plan isn't as organized as we originally thought," the Red Prince said standing in front of the sign.

"We shouldn't split up," I said. "We have to make a choice of where to go first."

"The plan's already set," Sebille said. "We should go to Roost as planned. Once we've finished with him, we'll go to Stonegarden to meet with Ryker and find your Wanderer friend."

The Red Prince held back some impatience behind his features.

"Brahmos is being hunted by the House of Shadows. I fear he may be dead even now. But then again, we did agree to help each other. I'll differ my urgency as long as we go to Stonegarden Cemetery right after we conclude your meeting with the Lone Wolves."

Sebille nodded and the rest of us did too. We went left. As we traversed the roads, I noticed the trees had started to change. The trees became more intricate and complex. It felt like there was a greater energy of life here. It was then I remembered from my studies. These were elven Ancestor Trees. This region was once a thriving elven land. But if there was a sawmill in the middle of it…

We came to a cliff that overlooked the land that stretched to the north. The four of us saw the blanket of green that covered the lands as far as the eye could see. But that would be true if it weren't for the barren patch in the center of it. It must have been where the sawmill was. Seeing this gave me an unsettling feeling in my stomach. Many of those trees could be like the Lady Vengeance.

"It'll take us an hour-in-a-half to get down there," Ifan said. "How's about we take a breather before we continue?"

I hadn't recognized how much my body felt weighed down from carrying all the books and the shield on my back this whole time. The others nodded. Everyone dropped their packs and sat down against nearby tree trunks. I looked behind me and saw a creak with a sizable clearing. I looked down at my bag in my hand.

"I'm going to practice some new spells down by the creek while we wait," I said.

"By all means," Ifan said. "We definitely could use more skills if we're to face more challenging foes."

I nodded. I walked down the hill to the creak. I put my bag against a nearby tree and pulled one of the books out. It was the book of defensive hydromancy. I opened the book and found a page of a spell I found to be useful. I took my stance and spoke the words. I lowered my hands to my knees and slowly raised them as my body was encased in a thin layer of ice. My concentration was on point with my prior hydromancy experience. I moved my body around just as easily as I would without my Armor of Frost protecting me from the elements. The ice dissipated from my skin. I smiled at my success.

I moved to the next book. It was the mental and physical wellbeing book. I flipped the pages to the spell I wanted. I studied the words and took my stance. I held up my hands close to the sides of my head. When I opened my eyes, I felt one of the most amazing feelings to come over me. Everything felt clear. Distractions and worries were all but an afterthought. It truly was Peace of Mind. The spell ran its course and I closed the book with another smile of success.

Next was the Geomancy book. I opened it to a spell that seemed doable and useful. I took my stance and brought my hands down to my feet again. Only this time, instead of a layer of ice enveloping me, it was a layer of stone. I figured this would be useful to use on the Red Prince or Sebille if they needed extra protection from physical attacks from swords and arrows.

Unfortunately, my experience in Geomancy was too little. The layer of stone was too thick. I couldn't move my body or move my mouth. All I could do was look around with my eyes around and mumble through my sealed lips. A gust of wind blew. I felt my body tilt. I screamed through my sealed mouth as I fell over like a collapsing statue. Thankfully, unlike a statue, I didn't break into a hundred pieces when I slammed into the ground.

"My word," I heard a familiar voice say behind me. My eye saw the feet of the Red Prince stop right in front of me. He kneeled and looked directly into my eye. "I hardly believe you've done enough to earn the privilege to have a statue made in your honor."

All I could do was mumble a response. He stood up and pulled me back up right. Shortly after, my stone skin shed from my body. I gasped and moved my stiff arms and neck around.

"Guess I should stick to the other elemental schools for now," I said as the joints of my arms and neck creaked and cracked.

"That would be wise," the Red Prince said. "I would prefer you to not do that to me."

I pursed my lips and looked to the side. Then I noticed the Red Prince was alone. Sebille and Ifan were still up by the cliff's edge.

"Did you want to talk to me?" I asked the Red Prince.

"Yes, I did," he went over to a nearby log and sat down. I took a seat next to him.

"From fellow kin who grew up in the safety of the Empire to another, how do you feel being this far from the comforts of home?"

My mind raced with all the things that happened to me in the short amount of time. But I forced myself to not blurt everything out at once. I took a breath and started slow.

"I admit it was jarring to have to defend myself for the first time. But now I see it's not that different than starting new courses at the academy. It seemed overwhelming at first but then I found a rhythm to it. Not to mention it's a new experience. Rather than reading about something new, I can see, touch, smell, taste and hear it too. Do you know what I mean?"

The Red Prince stroked the tip of his claw across his lips.

"I suppose I do. At first, I admit it was all rather trying. I was after all, marched out of my own Empire, and I've been hounded by the odd assassin ever since. After that came the indignity of the collar and incarceration."

He looked up at the sky through the brush of leaves.

"But ever since we decided to be so bold as to bid our farewell to Fort Joy by any means, it's all been rather…fun."

I felt torn about the label of "fun" being put on our endeavors. For one thing, people were dying, either from the vicious claws of the Voidwoken or the misguided righteousness of the Divine Order. But at the same time, I did find it… gratifying to help the three human children to freedom. And I felt especially good when I freed Slane from his captivity. If I hadn't been captured, then I'd never been able to help any of them.

The Red Prince looked back at me and continued.

"Oh, I could complain about the food and the lodgings and the sheer barbarity of the common folk, but in truth, all of that fits within the larger frame that is adventure. Adventure is precisely what my life was missing."

I couldn't help but smile.

"I could tell you tales about what it was like to be a prince of the house; tales that would last us a thousand nights. That is true. But I'd much rather speak of the tale we are shaping now."

I felt a certain satisfaction hearing the Prince talk about how our endeavors were what he liked the most now. Perhaps it was the beginning of a change I was starting to see in him.

"I guess experiencing some amount of pain can help us to better ourselves," I said. "To learn what it's really like out in the world. Even-"

I stopped. The chain of positive thoughts coming out of me grinded to a halt. The grin on my face disappeared. My gaze trailed off to the brush of trees that ran down the length of the creek. I felt as if my body had lost all its senses. Not from a curse. But from all the emotions in my body suddenly evaporating from a haunting realization.

"Even what?" the Red Prince asked. He didn't seem to notice my emotional shift. I slowly turned my head to the Red Prince. I felt my heart turn to stone. Like it was about to fall out of my chest.

"May I ask _you_ something?" I said.

"By all means," the Red Prince said. "Our conversation is quite an engaging one. I implore you to keep it going."

I felt extremely nervous for what I was going to ask him. I did my best to keep it stowed away.

"How does slavery work within the House of War?"

The Red Prince's brows shot up. Was he surprised I of all people asked him the question? But it didn't seem to matter when he stood up with rather enthusiastic flare.

"The answer is rather straightforward. Some rule; some serve. It's the way of the world."

There was a pause between us. He rolled his eyes when he realized what he said wasn't the definitive answer I was looking for. The Red Prince started to pace in front of me.

"It's a custom as old as time. We conquered, established rule, and demonstrated our unequivocal authority by making slaves out of defeated nobles and royals. Now the rules have…relaxed somewhat. Slaves have simply become a commodity; a given. They come from all walks of life from all over Rivellon."

He paused like he was preparing for the next act for a play.

"Of course, there are some that struggle with accepting the honor that is serving the exalted House of War, hence the scares."

He held up his fingers in a pinch.

"They are pinnacles of magic in their own subtle way. Works of art, really. A string around a slave's very soul. Obedience made absolute."

Every word he spoke. Every movement he made. Every sound of joy he uttered. All of it slowly drained me.

"Now here's the beauty of the scar."

He brought up the tip of his finger to his left cheek. He traced a pattern over his scales.

"You see: it lives. It is one with a slave's tissue and bends his actions against the slave's will."

He moved his hand over his imaginary scar, emphasizing the impact it would make to the victim. Then he brought the tip of his finger to the front of his chin.

"All this can be achieved by means of music. Every scar is attuned to a unique song, sound or melody. He who knows the melody, controls the slave."

He closed his eyes and hummed a melody that enhanced his joyful mood.

"All it takes is a whistle, and oh, how they'll come a-running!"

He laughed and wore a grin that displayed pure joy. He opened his eyes and looked at me.

"Well, what do you think of it? Is it not a fascinating magic?"

My ears didn't hear what he said. My eyes didn't even see him standing before me. Instead, I was nowhere. There was no light, only darkness. It was empty.

" _It's a custom as old as time._ "

A human woman lay shackled to a stone table. She shook erratically and tears ran down her face. Standing over her was a lizard priest who sang in the ancient tongue. He ran his finger over her cheek and the slave scar was burned into her flesh as she screamed a blood curling scream.

" _It is one with a slave's tissue and bends his actions against the slave's will._ "

An elven man fell to his knees and clenched his head as the melody of his master overtook him.

" _Slaves have simply become a commodity; a given._ "

A human man crawled on all fours and bowed at the feet of his master.

" _There are some that struggle with accepting the honor that is serving the exalted House of War._ "

An elven woman lay on her knees drenched in the blood of the man whose wounds were opened by the blades she wielded.

" _All it takes is a whistle, and oh, how they'll come a-running!_ "

Three human children lay on their knees before the feet of three lizard priests.

" _Works of art, really. A string around a slave's very soul. Obedience made absolute._ "

"OW!"

My senses snapped back to me. I saw the Red Prince stumbling back from me with his hand rubbing his other palm.

"What was that for?" he said.

I saw that I held my hand in the air. I realized that I had slapped the Red Prince's hand away when he tried to reach out to me. Normally, I would have said I was sorry. But when I recalled my time in that dark place with his voice echoing in my ears, I couldn't do it. Instead, I closed my eyes and stood up.

"Do you know what the last good thing about being outside the Empire is?"

"Uh…" I heard the Red Prince say in an obliviously confused way. "I suppose you want to tell me now?"

A flood of emotions broke through me. My eyes opened and my face morphed into a blazing stare right at the red lizard.

"It's being able to understand the pain of those who are different than us."

The Red Prince didn't respond. He only stared at me with a mask to hide his true emotions. But I realized, that was all he was. His demeanor. His attitude. His charm. What looked like a jolly man who you'd have a good time having conversations with at the dinner table was all a ruse to hide what he truly was. I tightened my fists and narrowed my eyes.

"The first time I met you, I did not like you one bit. The way you grabbed me to determine if I were to be your slave. I thought you to be the most delusional and disgusting creature in Rivellon.

"But then you surprised me. You took everything back on the beach after I saved your red tail from that godsforsaken boat. I thought maybe you were not that disgusting creature. When we escaped Fort Joy alongside people who wore different skin than us, I thought you may have learned there's more to other people who aren't lizards like I did.

"Or perhaps our time inside the Fort being collared like animals could had given you an idea of what it was like to be slave. Or when the Lady Vengeance told her story of how her life was stolen from her. Or when Sebille told her story of how she escaped from the House of Shadows. I had hope."

I paused and stared at the Red Prince. His face did not change one bit. The anger grew and my body shook harder.

"But now, you proved I was right."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Right about what?"

I couldn't contain it anymore. I unleashed everything.

"THE PEOPLE OF THE HOUSE OF WAR ARE NOTHING MORE THAN WARMONGERING MONSTERS WHO ARE JUST AS EVIL AS THE DIVINE ORDER!"

A gush of fire burst out of my mouth. The Red Prince leaned back slightly as the flames dissipated harmlessly in the air in front of him. I closed my mouth and the flames stopped. I kept my anger filled stare on him while he crossed his arms and held his eyes half open.

"So, you don't enjoy the aspects of the scar after all," he said. "Doesn't surprise me one bit. Disappoints me to no end though."

It was like he had deflected every emotion I threw at him. It was unbelievable. It was like I couldn't get through to him no matter what I said or did. I violently broke eye contact and turned away. I picked up my books and shoved them into my bag. Before I went up the hill, I stopped with my back to him.

"Two things," I did not move my head one bit to look at him. "It's people like you who make me feel ashamed to wear the same skin as you."

I raised my finger.

"And if you ever lay a finger on any of those three children, I will not hesitate to tear your jaw from your skull with my bare hands."

I walked up the hill with my bag in hand. I shuffled past the bushes onto the road. But when I looked up, I saw that Ifan and Sebille were not sitting by the cliff's edge overlooking the valley. I turned around and found both standing up from the bushes I shuffled past. They had listened in on my conversation with the Red Prince. They looked at me. The anger in me slowly turned to sadness. My eyes started to tear up. I closed them and turned my head away.

"If you have anything to say, just say it!" I said angerly and sadly. Not at them. But rather just angerly and sadly. I kept my eyes closed waiting to see if they were going to say anything. I heard one of them walk up and stop before me.

"I'll only say this," I heard the voice of Sebille say. "You were given this for a reason."

I cracked my eye open. I looked down to find Sebille's hand resting on my amulet. I looked down at Sebille and she looked up at me. The Red Prince emerged from the bushes and all three of us turned our heads to him. Sebille pulled her hand away from my amulet. The Red Prince looked at us with the realization.

"Have you two been listening in?" the Red Prince asked the human and elf accusingly.

Sebille gave the Red Prince a sharp sneer. She grabbed her bag and immediately started walking down the road. The Prince looked over at Ifan who only gave an empty stare in return. The Prince gave an irritated sneer of his own to Ifan. He retrieved his bag and walked down the road himself.

It was only Ifan and I now. He walked up to me and put his hands on the sides of my elbows. He looked up at me and I looked down at him. For what felt like an eternity, our eyes were locked. From the look in his eyes, I could tell he understood what I felt, and he was here for me. I felt another tear fall from my eye. Ifan brought his hand up and gently wiped the tear away.

The emotions in me took over. I brought my arms up and hugged him. He brought his arms around my body in return. He nestled his whiskered cheek into my long neck. I rested my chin on the top of his head. The warmth of his body relieved all the tension that built up in me. I let a sigh out of my body. I didn't want this to stop. I wanted it to last just a little longer.

"Hey! What's keeping you two?!"

We herd the Red Prince shout from down the road. Ifan slowly pulled out of our embrace. He picked up his bag and put his hand on my shoulder. He grinned and motioned his eyes to the road ahead. I took a deep breath and grinned in return. He let go of me and when I retrieved my bag, we walked side-by-side down the road.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Accompanying Song: watch?v=6vFUZEI6s84

So yeah…unlike many Original Characters, especially ones created by furry artists, Mahalia is not one that would love to be the Red Prince's slave.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"May I ask you a question?"

Ifan looked up at me as we walked down the road. Sebille and the Red Prince were several paces ahead of us.

"Of course," Ifan said.

"How did you get your moniker; The Silver Claw?"

He moved his gaze to the road for a few seconds before turning back to me.

"I'll spare you the tall tales we usually tell," he said. "When a new cub joins up with the Lone Wolves, we interrogate them. Then a… very complex equation decides their new moniker. I don't remember all the questions, but I remember enough to give you a Lone Wolf name if you want one."

I pursed my lips together and shrugged.

"Why not?" I said. Ifan grinned.

"Alright, first question: what scene attracts you the most? An alleyway under the moonlight, a desert oasis, a forest canopy, a busy city or an opera house?"

My mind ran through the scenes. However, the one that attracted me the most was the one I really longed to return to.

"Even though I still feel some shame for my skin right now, I still wish to feel the desert sun on my scales again."

Ifan nodded with a grin on his face. He looked up remembering the next question.

"Now, you have the target in your sight. How do you take him down?"

The conversation took a rather violent turn. But then again, the Lone Wolves were mercenaries and mercenaries kill people. I looked down at my medallion and the glowing red gem in the middle.

"I'd set him aflame," I said.

"I figured," Ifan said. "Anyway, I know what your moniker is."

"I'm all ears," I said. Ifan took a deep breath.

"Dusty Feather."

I raised my brow. Ifan shrugged in return. Both of us couldn't hold back how odd it sounded.

"Not as pant-wettingly fearsome as Silver Claw," Ifan said. "But not bad. Not bad at all."

"I… think it might work," I said. "Certainly less syllables to utter in battle."

I held up my hands.

"Dus-ty."

Two fingers on my left.

"Ma-ha-li-a.

Four on my right.

"It's okay," Ifan chuckled. "I'll call you by your real name since you call me by mine."

I smiled at Ifan and he gave me a wink back.

"Anything else you want to talk about to pass the time?" Ifan said.

I racked my brain. Then a thought came to my mind.

"I'm curious. You told us on the ship the elves took you in after your parents died. What was your life like before then?"

Ifan pursed his lips and recalled his early life.

"I'm from the deserts of Mezd originally. My parents were spice merchants, killed by bandits as we were trading on the forest roads. The elves nearby saved me afterwards. They found me hiding in a wagon and they took me in."

Ifan bit his lip for a moment.

"They were my home until I was old enough to join the Order. Mother Melati always said I'd have a hard life. She saw it as fact, since I was born under the waxing moon."

I raised my brows.

"That's funny. I was born under a waxing moon too."

Ifan suddenly burst out laughing.

"We're two doomed peas in a pod, eh?" he said.

"Perhaps," I said. "Both of us were born under a waxing moon in a desert and now we're on the run from the Magisters trying our best to save the world."

"Well you still have a family to go back to. I've lost mine twice already."

There was an awkward silence between us.

"But…I understand what you're trying to say," Ifan said. He put his attention on the road again. There was another awkward silence between us for a while. Eventually, I lifted my hand and put it onto Ifan's shoulder. Ifan seemed surprised when he looked up at me.

"Regardless, I'm very happy to have you as my friend, Ifan."

Ifan looked up at me for a moment. At first, he seemed shocked when he heard me say that. Eventually, he reached over with his other hand and placed it on top of mine. He smiled.

"I'm happy to have you as my friend, too," he said.

We kept our hands and our eyes locked for a while until we eventually dispersed and focused on the road ahead. We continued down the road for a while. Eventually, the trees that flanked the roads became more barren. What was green was now brown and white. Stumps littered the area along with several withering and dead trees that weren't cut down. We were closing in on the Sawmill. Sebille and the Red Prince stopped and allowed Ifan and I to catch up.

"Sawmill's just ahead," Ifan said. "I need to tell all of you something before we go there."

We went over to the side of the road and sat down, Sebille keeping her distance from the Red Prince.

"What's our situation?" Sebille asked.

Ifan took a deep breath.

"I've learned from Callo, my colleague in disguise at the Tavern, that the Lone Wolves have been hunting Godwoken."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Roost has been keeping me in the dark on a lot of things," Ifan answered the question before any of us asked it. "So, I believe we need go in there and find out who hunts Godwoken and why."

"And how exactly do we do that?" the Red Prince asked.

"They'll be expecting me to hand you three in for the bounty. But that'll be the ruse to get us in. When we're inside, we'll find out who wants us dead."

He looked over at Sebille.

"And we'll also find out where the Master is."

She tilted her head with a pleasant smile.

"Just play it cool. We go in. We get answers. We leave. Nothing more to it than that…"

All three of us tilted our heads and gave Ifan the same look. The glint in his eye and wicked smile told us it was a joke.

"Alright," he said. "It has the potential to get messy. Very messy indeed. But I've got your backs if you've got each other's."

Both Sebille and I looked over at the Red Prince. He still wore his discerning face. Despite my anger I expressed at him an hour ago, I knew I shouldn't let that get in the way of what we needed to do. I put my hand onto the Prince's shoulder. He looked over at me.

"I've got your back," I said.

I glanced over at Sebille. She was more reluctant, but eventually she put her own hand onto his other shoulder. She lightly nodded at the red lizard. The Red Prince took his time and looked at the both of us. Eventually he looked over at Ifan and nodded his head. It was reassurance enough. Ifan stood up and went over to the nearby rock. He moved it aside to reveal a hole leading under the roots of a tree.

"Best to lighten the load for now," he said as he swung his bag off his shoulders and into the hole. I did feel weighed down by the books in my bag. I took mine off and stowed it along with the Red Prince and Sebille. Ifan then put the rock back into place. Thankfully, it didn't look conspicuous. With our bags stowed, Ifan stood up.

"Follow me."

We went down the road together until we made it to a small hill. Once we reached the top, we saw the sawmill. Two guards stood on the bridge while two sentries stood on the platforms flanking the bridge. Inside, several mercenaries walked, stood and sat around the open space passing the time whatever way they knew how.

"Alright, follow my lead and let me do the talking," Ifan said. He walked down in front with Sebille right behind him with the Red Prince and I flanking her. Hopefully, none of the mercenaries would recognize who she was until we found out where Roost was.

We took our first steps on the bridge just as one of the human guards at the end wearing bone and fur armor raised his axe. But as we got closer, the guard's eyes widened. He lowered his axe and bowed respectfully to Ifan.

"Ifan ben-Mezd, as I live and breathe!" the guard said with a voice that fit his thuglike appearance. "Didn't think we'd be seeing you again so soon, sir."

Ifan shot a grin.

"Is Roost around?" he asked the guard. "I've some things to discuss with him."

"He is. He's upstairs in the big house there, sir."

The guard pointed his thumb toward the house in the back of the yard.

"He'll be glad to see you, too. Glad as Roost gets, anyway."

Ifan snorted in amusement. The guard looked behind him at us.

"He's hoping you'll bring…friends."

The guard then winked at Ifan so hard and theatrically that one whole half of his face seemed to squint. Ifan didn't look back at us. He nodded and the guard stepped aside. Ifan motioned us to follow him. We walked into the camp. Most of the mercenaries payed little mind to our entourage walking across the yard while others made small glances. Ifan looked in their direction to tell them he had it handled. We made it to the stairs leading up to Roost's quarters. He made a glance back at us and we nodded. We were ready.

We ascended the stairs to find ourselves at an open doorway to our left. We looked through to find five people standing in the room. At the back, two guards with crossbows stood while two sleeping wolves flanked a single man standing in the center. The man was massive with blond hair tangled in knots. Scars upon scars crossed every inch of his hands and gnarled face. That had to be Roost. He paced around a sixth person who sat on their knees before him. It was a young elven woman. When I looked closer, I saw her hands were tied behind her back and she had a blindfold covering her eyes.

 _Saheila!_

She was out of Fort Joy. Alive too. But how? Why?

"It don't work for me," Roost said standing over Saheila. He presented a severed human arm and nudged it against her mouth. "You try."

Saheila timidly pulled her mouth away.

"I do not defile the dead," she said.

Roost pulled the arm away. He kneeled and brought his face uncomfortably close to Saheila's.

"Ain't you an elf?" he said.

"We eat flesh to honor it. Not to steal the secrets of the dead," Saheila did her best to conceal her fear.

Roost snorted in her face. He stood up and started to pace around her again. He started muttering an impromptu tune.

" _Secrets, secrets, they're no fun._ "

He held the severed arm like a club.

" _Secrets, secrets…hurt someone._ "

We walked in and Ifan cleared his throat before Roost could do anything more. The wolves woke up and growled as the guards drew their bows on us. Roost turned around. He smiled a crooked smile and held up his hand. The wolves and the guards eased themselves. Roost discarded the severed arm and took a step forward. Ifan took a step ahead of us as well.

"Would you look at that. The Silver Claw is back."

"You sound surprised," Ifan said crossing his arms.

"You're losing your bloody touch, Ben-Mezd. Couldn't even fulfill your latest contract with Alexander, could you?"

"I'm sorry to say that the Voidwoken beat me to him," Ifan slyly shot back. The tension between these two was growing. "Seems the Lone Wolves have competition in our final days of existence."

Roost snorted.

"Your failure has put the reputation of all wolves at stake."

He moved his eyes behind Ifan at the three of us.

"But! I suppose I might be swayed to forgiveness by the other little Godwoken morsels you've brought me…"

He lurched closer to the four of us.

"I can't let you take them, Roost," Ifan took a step forward. Unseen by Roost, Ifan held his right hand behind him for only us to see.

"You know me. You know you can trust me. So, believe me when I say this is bigger than any contract."

Roost brought his fingers to his temples and shook his head. Meanwhile, Ifan gave signals with his hand behind his back. He pointed to the left and right, at the Red Prince and me. Then he pointed four times at his back. Or rather, through his back in front of him. I made a sideways glance at the Red Prince. Instead of a nod, the Red Prince blinked indicating he knew what to do.

"That's not how it works," Roost said when he finished shaking his head. "Let the rest of the world worry about right and wrong, good and evil. We've always had a…narrower focus. And that's not about to change now."

Ifan pointed at Sebille next then one time through his back. She shifted her eyes back and forth between the Red Prince and me. We each blinked at her. We knew what we needed to do.

"We've had good times, ben-Mezd. We've had bad times."

Ifan started to count down from five on his fingers.

Five…four…

"But this is the best time of all. You, just danced a contract right into my lap."

Three…two…

"What else are friends for?"

One…

Roost reached for his weapon, but we were already in motion. Ifan shot forward and twirled around Roost. Sebille shot forward into Roost while the Red Prince and I jumped up to flank Ifan. The guard's launched their arrows but we held up our shields in time to block their shots. The wolves lunged at us, but the Red Prince and I had unleashed our fire breath. The wolves stopped in midair and dropped onto the floor howling and whimpering in flames. Meanwhile, Ifan had summoned Afrit as he fired his crossbow at the left guard. The arrow hit him square in the eye and fell to the floor dead. Aftri pounced onto the second guard and made short work of the man.

Once all four of them were confirmed dead, Ifan, the Red Prince and I looked at each other with grins a plenty. Ifan patted each of us on the shoulder and said, "Good job." We patted him on the shoulder in return. We then turned to the remaining Lone Wolf in the room. Roost was on his knees with Sebille sitting in front of him. Her needle was pierced through his hand, locking him in place.

"Hello, Roost," Sebille said with a rather satisfied demeanor. "Remember me?"

Roost opened his eyes. He showed surprise but then it turned into a painful grin.

"Sebille…" he said with painful resolve. "I-I was… wondering when I'd see...you again."

He did his best to keep a smile on display.

"I knew- the time would c-come after you broke d-daddy's leash."

Sebille's eyes narrowed.

"Funny you should mention that. I'm looking for daddy right now. How's about you tell me where he is."

Roost made a pain-filled chuckle.

"You'll have to g-give me a kiss first. Lots of tongue t-."

Sebille twisted the needle and he screamed.

"Let's try this again," Sebille leaned closer into his face. "Where. Is. The. Master?"

Roost groaned more and more until he yielded.

"Island!" he shouted. "He's on an island with no name!"

"Good boy," Sebille withdrew her needle from his hand. He gasped with relief, but the relief was cut short. Sebille swung herself behind Roost and held him in a stranglehold with her needle at his throat.

"Now tell me, where is this island with no name?" she asked in his ear.

Roost's panting slowly turned into laughter.

"Oh, I'll do one better," he looked out the corner of his eyes. "I'll take you there."

His face curled into a sadistic grin and spoke like an obsessive serial killer fantasizing the next kill.

"I'm going to beat you like I did before. I'm going to bleed and bind you, and I'm going to deliver what's left of you to the Master all over again."

He laughed harder and harder.

"He'll be so glad to have his puppy back, even if she'll have lost some of her luster-"

Suddenly, he swung his head back and slammed Sebille right in the nose. Roost pulled the needle from his throat and threw Sebille over his body. He stood up and drew his weapons. He raised them above his head ready to bring them down onto Sebille on the floor.

But he suddenly froze. His arms lowered to his sides as he looked down. The blade of the Red Prince protruded out of his chest. Sebille picked herself off the ground rubbing her nose that streamed a small flow of blood.

The Red Prince withdrew his blade, causing Roost's body to surge and drop both of his maces harmlessly to the floor. With the life in him fading, Roost dropped to his knees. He looked up a Sebille first and then Ifan. Ifan only shook his head with a look that said, "It didn't have to be this way."

Roost fell forward and hit the floor with a thud. He was dead. All of us gathered around the corpse of the Lone Wolf.

"So much for finding out who's hunting Godwoken," Ifan sighed.

But a thought flickered into my mind.

"Perhaps it's not too late," I said.

I closed my eyes and muttered the words. When I opened them again, I found myself standing before a ghostly form that looked the same as the corpse below it. The others opened their eyes and they saw what I saw.

The spirit of Roost inhaled heavily with his hands balled up and a face pinched into a tight sneer. He brought his hands up to his hair and pulled so hard a portion of his head was ripped off. But the part of his head reappeared as soon as it was torn off. He let out a raging scream to the heavens.

"I'm sorry Roost," Ifan said. To my surprise, Roost turned his attention to Ifan. "You forced my hand."

Roost only leered at him. He brought up his fists and swung them at Ifan. But the ghostly appendages only phased through Ifan harmlessly.

"Who was it Roost?" Ifan said. "Who gave you the contract to hunt Godwoken?"

The rage in Roost's spirit twisted his face into a sadistic grin as he laughed.

"God did," he said. "Do us all a favor and go die."

Ifan only sighed. He knew as well as the rest of us that we weren't going to get anything more out of him. All of us turned away. I heard Roost raging more and more, but it didn't matter anymore.

I kneeled in front of Saheila as Sebille cut away her restraints.

"I know you come for me again," Saheila said. She brought up her shaking hands and gently held my face. "I know you do. I only need to wait."

"Are you okay?" I asked as I gently took her hands off my face. "How'd you escape Fort Joy?"

"My people come for me," she replied. "My mother. Sarias. The others. They take me away from there. But then the Wolves come. Roost Anlon. He takes me and they cannot stop him."

We suddenly heard shouting outside followed by the clattering of blades and bows.

"The rest of the Lone Wolves will be here soon," the Red Prince said readying his weapon. "We'd better prepare to fight."

"There is no need to fight," Saheila said. "The window. The river. That is where we escape. My people wait for me down the stream. Quickly!"

I looked up at the window. I walked over and pushed it open. I looked down and sure enough a river flowed below. It looked deep enough to splash down into it unharmed. Though the current seemed particularly strong.

 _Bang!_

I turned around to see the Red Prince and Sebille had closed the door and propped a cabinet against it. The door banged again. It was either stand and fight even though we were outnumbered or take a risk and hop into the river. I closed my eyes and I weighed the odds.

"We should jump out!" I said. The Red Prince and Sebille looked at each other for a moment before they both nodded. I turned to Saheila. But then I noticed Ifan was staring at a rather sinister looking mirror in the corner of the room. I walked over to him and touched his shoulder. He shuttered like he was snapped back to reality. He looked up at me like he had just seen a ghost.

"I know who's hunting us," he said. He looked over at the mirror again. I turned his gaze away.

"Tell us later," I said. "We've got to jump."

He looked over the at the door which was nearly broken open. He nodded and ran for the window. I went over to Saheila and picked her up. I hoisted her onto my back and moved to the window. One by one, Sebille, the Red Prince and Ifan jumped. I heard the door break open, but I did not look behind me. I carried Saheila through the window and leapt into the raging waters below.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** It seems someone on the site has beaten me to the punch in making a DOS2 novelization with a Female Lizard Protagonist. I'm of course talking about Slywyn's story, Godwoken. If you're anxious for good Divinity content but can't wait for me to upload the next chapter, I recommend you read Slywyn's story while I work on my own story. Also, it would give me a chance to know if my writing is up to par with other people's. If you want to make some compare and contrasts, it would help me greatly.

Once again, thank you for reading and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The currents pulled my body around in directions I couldn't control. I forced my arms down as hard as I could trying to go one direction: up. I felt my face break the surface and I gasped whatever air I could bring into my lungs before I was dragged under again. It happened again and again until I felt no current twisting my body anymore. The water was calm. Calm enough to freely swim up to the surface. I emerged and inhaled a large breath. I opened my eyes to see Saheila was still holding on to me. We were now in a small lake. The Red Prince, Ifan and Sebille were ahead of me swimming to shore. I followed them. When I felt my talons touch solid ground, I crawled up out of the water onto the rocky shore. Saheila let go and we both collapsed onto the rocks. I panted and the others did the same. Ifan turned his head and looked over at me. We panted almost in unison until our panting turned into laughing. Sebille and even the Red Prince joined in.

"That was…" I gasped for air between my laughs. "That was quite an escape wasn't it?"

"It'll defiantly be one of my stories to tell when I return to my Empire," the Red Prince said.

"It's defiantly a keeper," Ifan said. We rested on the rocks for a while longer until Ifan was the one to stand up first. One by one, the four of us got to our feet. I looked at Saheila who sat on her knees.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Yes," she said. She lifted her hand. I took it and helped her to her feet. "My people wait for me. Please."

She kept holding my hand and walked ahead of me. I followed her and the others followed me. She led us from the shore of the lake into a drove of untouched trees. We had been pulled far from the barren patches of the Sawmill. Saheila led me through the trees until we happened upon a road. Saheila pulled me right. We followed the road until Saheila stopped and let go of my hand. She took a step to the left where there was no road to turn left on. Instead, there was a pair of trees interlaced with one another. In the middle of the trees was an archway just large enough for a lizard like me to squeeze through.

"Come," Saheila walked to the archway and stepped through. One by one, the rest of us followed her. There was a path that twisted deeper into the brush. We followed it until we reached an opening where the sun shown through the canopy of leaves above us. Under it was an open encampment like the Seeker camp outside of Fort Joy. All around were elves who wore their natural attire of branches and leaves. They turned their heads to us. Their eyes widened and they gasped seeing Saheila.

"Saheila," the elder elf said. "My baby!"

"Mother!" Saheila cried out. Her mother ran over and embraced her child. I saw tears roll down her eyes. Both mother and child shared a loving smile. It made me feel something in my core. I'd reunited a mother and child and they were of a different species than I was. It felt good.

"My child. I thought I'd lost all hope," Saheila's mother said still holding her daughter's head in her bosom.

"I was rescued," Saheila slowly moved out of her mother's embrace and turned her head to the four of us. "These people, they helped me when I was trapped on the island. And they helped me again."

Saheila's mother looked over at us. She slowly walked towards us; to me. She held up her hand. I brought up my hand and took hers. She brought up her other hand and placed it on top of my hand.

"You have my deepest thanks," she said. She looked at the rest of us. "You save us all. My girl is back. Our Scion is back."

 _Scion?_

I looked over at Ifan. He was surprised to hear that word too having lived with elves himself.

"Saheila is a Scion?" Ifan asked rather eagerly.

"Yes," Saheila's mother said. "Ever since the deathfog destroyed our home, our people have struggled to survive. Our Scions are the last hope we have of rebuilding. But they have been hunted down. Very few are left."

She looked back at her child.

"But you have restored our hope."

Ifan walked up next to me and bowed before Saheila's mother.

"It was our pleasure to help you," he said. Saheila's mother nodded.

Saheila walked over to us.

"I know what you need. And I can help you. We can help you."

She heard that we were Godwoken during our confrontation with Roost. And she was one of the Masters of Source from the magister ledger. We had an opportunity to expand our abilities for our journey to come.

"How can you help us?" I asked.

Saheila kneeled and placed a hand onto the earthen ground.

"Please. Join me."

The four of us gathered around and kneeled side by side in front of her. She turned her blind eyes to the ground she held her hand against.

"Can you hear them?" she asked. "Their roots stretch beneath us, even now…"

The four of us remained quite and tried to listen in. All I could her was the bristling of the leaves in the canopy above and the distant songs of birds.

"I can't hear anything," I said.

"Don't worry," I heard Ifan say. "We will."

"Indeed," Saheila said. "Hold your hands to the ground."

The four of us put our right hands side by side onto the ground. She placed both of her palms on top of our hands; her right touching Ifan's and the Red Prince's, her left touching Sebille's and mine.

"We breath together," she spoke softly. "We call the spirit of the trees to us. Close your eyes."

All four of us did so.

"Inhale…"

"and exhale."

"Inhale…"

"and exhale."

"Inhale…"

Every time I inhaled, I heard voices speaking. At first, they were whispers. Then they grew to become gentle murmurs like water over rocks. It continued to grow as we continued to breath. Then a wind of voices entered me. It entered through my throat, down into my belly and up into my heart. My blood ran cold, then warmed again. With every breath, I felt as if my body was growing stronger. I felt a power grow in my heart, like it was expanding.

Then the voices stopped. I opened my eyes to see Saheila had removed her hands from ours. When I looked at myself, my body was unchanged, but I felt the inside of my chest had grown. The remaining Source in my body was the same, but I felt like my body could hold more. Much more. In that moment, I realized what the path to Divinity meant. The more Source I could hold, the more powerful I could be.

All four of us removed our hands from the ground and stood up.

"The trees have given you their strength," Saheila said. "Yours will grow, if you let it."

I took a moment to look around at the rest of the elves in the camp.

"Thank you, Saheila," I said. "You've helped us greatly."

"It is the least we can do for you," Saheila's mother said.

I smiled and looked around at the rest of the elves around us.

"I wish we could stay just a little longer, but we need to be on our way. I wish you all the best."

The four of us turned around and started walking to the exit.

"Wait," Saheila said. We stopped and turned back to her. "Before you leave, I must speak to Sebille."

I immediately looked over a Sebille. She gave a look of confusion. When Saheila approached, I stood aside along with the others. Saheila walked up to Sebille and gently took ahold of her arms.

"I long await this moment, Sebille," Saheila said. "Finally we speak among tree and kin."

She patted Sebille's right arm with a warm motherly smile. But the smile evaporated when her fingers glided over the names engraved in her skin. She pulled her hand away and stepped back as if she was scalded. I could see a shocking realization flow through her body.

"My child, what is wrong?" Saheila's mother came and held her daughter in her arms.

Saheila raised her finger toward Sebille.

"The names…" she said. "They're the names of the dead. Of the Scions of our people!"

Ifan, the Red Prince and I turned our heads immediately to Sebille. She looked at us with the same shocking realization as Saheila. She looked at her right arm.

"They're Scions?" she asked with a voice that bordered on fearful.

"Yes," Saheila walked out of her mother's embrace back up to Sebille. "Your servents; your champions; your worshippers. Do you…Do you not remember, Sebille?"

Sebille only stared at the fold that covered Saheila's eyes with a face that said she genuinely knew nothing about what was told to her. Saheila firmly took ahold of Sebille's shoulders.

"You are the Prime Scion!"

The words echoed within my mind. I remembered reading something about this.

"Is it true?" I asked Sebille. She looked over at me then all around the encampment. It was such uncharacteristic of her. She looked like she was being accused of a crime.

"N-no," she shook her body, but not hard enough to shrug off Saheila's hands from her shoulders. "You speak falsehoods! If I were a Scion, I'd know it. I'd feel it with every beat of my heart!"

"I believe that it's because of your scar."

We turned our heads to the Red Prince. He twiddled his fingers as he explained with the same flare he had when he talked to me about the scar.

"It's one of the side effects. Actually, it's quite a benefit because it makes the slave forget their former lives to be more obedient to their masters."

An entourage of blades unsheathed and bows readied followed the Red Prince's last words. Nearly all the elves trained their weapons onto the red lizard. After hearing him talk about slavery with the enthusiasm he had when he spoke to me, I understood why. But to my surprise, Ifan was the one to defuse the situation.

"Easy," he said with his arms raised. "He's harmless."

The elves looked at him disbelievingly. Even Ifan knew what he said was cow dung.

"…at the moment," he added. He sighed and turned around to the Prince. "No offense, but I think it's best if you step outside for now."

The Red Prince looked over at the elves who had their weapons trained on him. He didn't say anything when he turned around and went through the archway to the path outside. With him out of the picture, Saheila continued.

"Though he is a disgusting creature, he is right."

Saheila moved her hand and ran it over the grooves of the scar on Sebille's cheek.

"Such an unspeakable horror, this thing," she moved her hand away from my cheek. "I see all now. I figure who you are. The one we fear. The needle in the night. The Scion that is Scion killer. That is who you are, is it not?"

"No," I interjected. "It's the House of Shadows who killed your people. Their leader controlled her to kill the Scions. It's not her fault."

Sebille looked over at me seemingly thankful for standing up for her. But her gaze shot back to Saheila when she tightened her grip on her shoulders.

"It _is_ your fault," she said. "Diliana. Kuma. Silius. Mindaran. All the others. They are dead because you ran away."

Both Ifan and I looked at each other. What was she saying?

"They are dead because you do not want to be the heart! Your fear is how Roost captures you! Your fear is how they scar you! The scar makes you kill Scions. Without Scions, all elves die. If all elves die, the fault is yours!"

She firmly took ahold of Sebille's head under her chin. She forced her face close to Sebille's.

"You remember. Blind eyes make you see!"

Saheila took her free hand and tore off the blindfold. She opened her lids to reveal two flat white eyes with no pupils. Sebille looked into Saheila's eyes unable to move. It was as if she was hypnotized. My gut reaction was to jump in and peel Saheila off her. But Ifan grabbed and held me back. I looked over at him and he shook his head. He wanted me to wait. So, I did. Uncomfortably. Sebille kept looking into Saheila's eyes. But the more she did, the more her body looked like it was going to collapse to the ground.

"I just want to hold her up," I said to Ifan. Ifan nodded and let me go. I ran over and gently held my hand on her back where her neck met her shoulders. Her body stayed upright and gained great strength from my support. Saheila kept her sightless gaze on Sebille for a few more seconds. Then it stopped.

Saheila let Sebille go and closed her empty eyes. Sebille gasped and shut her eyes too. She surged backwards. Thankfully, I caught her. Ifan rushed over and took ahold of Sebille's body on the other side. Sebille opened her eyes and held her mouth open. She looked up at us.

"Are you okay?" Ifan asked. She didn't reply. She only looked absently up at the canopy of leaves above.

"I…" she said. Her voice expressed her disorientation. Her eyes moved back and forth, not focusing on either of us. "I saw it all…"

"You remember?" I asked. "What happened?"

She pursed her lips together and gulped. She looked side to side trying to remember what was put into her head.

"I saw myself," she said. "The Prime Scion. Destined to be the heart that pulses at the center of all Ancestor Trees. Then…"

Her gaze wandered to her right. It locked onto something unseen. It was like a memory was standing right there that only she could see.

"Then what?" I said to her.

Sebille put her feet firmly onto the ground. We loosened our grasp and allowed her to stand up.

"Then I heard…the Mother Tree."

"Well, what did she say?" Ifan asked.

"She spoke of…"

Sebille looked at the both of us then at Saheila. She closed her eyes and spoke with unhindered dread.

"…Death. Vengeance. Domination."

The three of us were silent. I looked over at Ifan and he wore the same face as I did. The great mother tree talking to Sebille about death, vengeance and domination? Those were the last things I would have expected to hear from a tree that was supposed to symbolize unity, life and peace for elven kind.

Sebille's eyes opened, showing a surge of anger.

"I hated her, fled from her…"

Then her anger turned to despair.

"Only to end in a strange land among unkind strangers. First there was Roost, then… the Master."

In that moment, I was stone silent. She ran away from her people and ended up becoming the slave to the House of Shadows. The names on her arm. Their deaths were indeed her fault. But what Sebille said about the Mother Tree… Death? Domination? What was going on?

Ifan turned around and walked up to Saheila's mother.

"What did she mean by that?" he asked her.

"She refused her destiny and our people now suf-"

"NO!" Ifan cut her off. "What did she mean that the Great Mother spoke of death and domination?! I was raised among you and never have I heard anything about the Great Mother wanting anything like that."

"She won't tell you anything," Sebille said. "They won't question the will of the Great Mother because they are under her control."

"You speak nonsense, Sebille!" Saheila said immediately. "The Great Mother is sick with fog that undid so many. She is dying…We've need of a new mother. Of you. We demand you be the heart!"

Sebille closed her eyes and tightened her fists. I could see a swirl of emotions coursing through her body. I could only imagine what she was thinking having only herd what seemed to be only a portion of the whole story. But the tension in her body dissipated. She opened her eyes and a familiar smirk emerged on her face. She was her old self again. She brought out her needle and looked at it for a moment.

"To be the heart, or to be heartless," she twirled the needle between her fingers. "The Mother, the Master…we'll see. It is not a decision for today."

She turned around and walked toward the exit. A nearby elf with a spear tried to stop her. But with her swift reflexes, she twirled around the elf and dashed out of the encampment. The elf got back onto his feet and turned around to pursue her.

"No, let her go!" Saheila shouted. The guard did so. "I see her path will bring her back to us."

She turned her head to Ifan and I.

"Until that time, we ask that you keep her safe."

I would have made a genuine promise for Saheila. But after hearing what Sebille said about the Mother Tree, I, along with Ifan, were more than a little suspicious about the elves here.

"Don't worry, we will," I said not as a promise but as a statement. Ifan and I walked side-by-side out of the camp with our suspicious eyes kept on the elves. Once we made it through the archway and out onto the road, we immediately faced each other.

"You didn't know about any of this?" I asked him.

"Nothing at all," Ifan said. "All my life, I was taught about the virtues of life and the trees. But this…"

He looked back at the archway.

"I don't understand why they didn't tell me about any of this."

"About what?"

We turned to see the Red Prince walk up to us.

"Nothing," I said. "Did you see Sebille pass through?"

"Why yes," he pointed down the road. "She was rather distraught when she ran past me. Quite a departure from her usual demeanor."

We turned and ran down the path after Sebille while the Red Prince confusingly followed behind us. We continued running until we found Sebille sitting against one of the trees on the side of the road. She curled her body up like I did when I retreated into the cargo hold on the Lady Vengeance. But she wasn't crying like I did. Instead, she blankly stared at the ground with her chin perched on top of her knees. We stopped before her and she turned her head to us.

"You probably have a ton of questions for me now, do you?" she said. I looked over at Ifan.

"A few to be sure," Ifan said to her. The Great Mother wanting Vengeance? For what? Her running away from her people. How running away caused her to become enslaved to the House of Shadows? It was mess of revelations that conflicted with every fibber of my mind.

Sebille got to her feet. She stowed away her melancholy feelings and returned to her old self again.

"Well, I'm sorry to say I'm not in the mood for answering those questions at the moment."

She looked down the road.

"Perhaps later I will. But for now, I want my bag back so we can get to our next task on our to-do list."

It dawned on me we were traveling light, and we were quite a way from where we stashed our bags to fight Roost with less encumbrance. The lingering questions I had were still there in my head, but I was sure that Sebille would not talk about it at all until much later. I shrugged.

"Alright," I said. I looked over at Ifan and he nodded to Sebille. The Red Prince only looked at the three of us with a confused look. It was confirmation enough.

"Good," Sebille said. She looked over at Ifan. "Now how's about you bring out your pet and have him get us back to our gear since we left the map behind?"

Ifan grinned. He took his stance and a second later, Afrit materialized before us.

"Alright boy. Lead the way," Ifan said. With a howl, Afrit trekked down the road and we followed him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

After twenty minutes, we returned to the barren section of the woods and found a familiar path we walked down an hour earlier. Afrit sniffed his way over to a tree and yipped. Ifan kneeled and removed the rock to find all four bags still there. He pet Afrit on the head before the wolf howled and disappeared into Ifan's chest. We each took our bags and found everything was just as we left it.

"Next stop, Stonegarden Cemetery," Sebille said. Ifan looked up at the sky. When I looked at the position of the sun myself, I estimated that the time was somewhere in the mid-afternoon. Ifan pulled out the map from his bag and looked it over.

"We should be able to reach it by evening," Ifan said. "Let's have ourselves a small lunch and get moving."

"Agreed," the Red Prince reached into his bag and pulled out a loaf of bread. He walked over to a nearby log and started gorging himself on his lunch. The rest of us found our spots and ate the food we took from the Lady Vengeance.

"By the way, did you say you know who's hunting Godwoken?" the Red Prince asked Ifan.

I had totally forgotten about that myself. I looked over at Ifan and Sebille did too. Ifan recalled what he saw in the mirror.

"It's the Black Ring," he said.

A silence followed.

"That's rather concerning," I said. "I thought they were vanquished when…"

I didn't say the exact words because Ifan when it happened.

"It was a major blow to the Black Ring," Ifan said. "But the remnants are surly still out there."

Hearing him say the Black Ring was still out there made me remember something.

"Do you suppose Windigo was part of the Black Ring too?" I asked.

"It's a possibility," Ifan said. "She wanted us dead. The Black Ring want us dead."

He raised his brows and looked up.

"Actually, a lot of people want us dead."

"I can definitely agree with that," Sebille said. The House of Shadows. The Divine Order. The Voidwoken. It seemed the entire world wanted us dead.

"But we're going to stick together so we won't die, right?" I said.

"We made it this far," the Red Prince said. "Might as well see it through."

It felt reassuring that we were working together so well, despite patches of bad blood between some of us. I knew I shouldn't let it get in the way. I nodded to the Red Prince and the others did to.

Shortly after our conversation, we finished our lunches. We stood up and Ifan lead the way. We traversed the barren forest back into the vibrant one. Over an hour later, we came to the Paladin Bridgehead once again. This time, we took the road south. We continued down the road for another hour until we took another rest. I, of course, took the opportunity to practice with the last three books I had in my bag. Once again, I found a clearing and opened the books.

The Advanced Areomancy spellbook had three spells of interest. A Dizzying Bolt that summoned a single bolt of lightning from above, a defensive spell that gave Uncanny Evasion to the one imbued with it, and a Blinding Radiance that surrounded me with a bright aura that could blind enemies that got too close to me. Next was the Defensive Pyromancy book which had one useful spell. Haste gave the one imbued with it more energy to fight faster. The last book was Advanced Hydromancy. Two spells caught my eye. The first was a Winter Blast that summoned a rush of ice and snow from the air while the second spell was an Ice Fan that sent out three ice spears in three different directions.

I practiced each spell until I felt I had each of them down. Once I was finished, I gathered up my books and rejoined the group. We continued our journey to the Stonegarden cemetery. After one more hour, the clouds started to come in threatening to rain on us. It was impossible to tell exactly what the time was with the Sun obstructed, but I estimated it was just about evening as the light was just starting to fade. We still had about an hour or two before nightfall.

Thankfully, we made it to the stone path outside the gates of the Cemetery. When I peered through the metal fence, I could see rows and rows of gravestones. They were human graves. Each species had their own special way of laying the dead to rest. For humans, it was being buried in coffins in the ground or crypts while higher class families had their remains buried in sarcophaguses in special tombs. For lizards, we preferred our remains to be cast into flames; to return to the the fire that sustains us in life. As for Dwarves, it was rather peculiar. They had their bodies placed on top of tall towers to have their remains be plucked away by the birds. I even managed to see one of those special towers in the distance past the gravestones. For elves, their remains were eaten by their fellow kin and the remainder of their bodies were buried to become ancestor trees like the Lady Vengeance.

We walked up to the main gate. But to my surprise, someone was already there. It was a human man with long black hair. When we moved closer, I recognized him.

"Well," Tarquin said when he noticed us. "It seems I'm not the only one interested in getting inside Stonegarden Cemetery."

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

His lips stretched into a mischievous smirk.

"When it comes to graveyards, I'm a kid in a candy shop. All sorts of goodies and gewgaws for the taking and a bit of rousing conversation. If you know where to dig that is."

He suddenly jerked, like he had just remembered something.

"I'm rather fortunate that you arrived here, actually. That way I can ask you to help me for something while I repay you for freeing me from Dallis's prison."

He reached into his robe and pulled out a potion bottle filled with a pink liquid.

"One Blood Rose potion as promised," he graciously handed it to Sebille.

"Sorry," Sebille said to us when she put it away. "I forgot to tell you I gave him the blood roses to make into a potion."

"That's okay," I said. "We completely forgot we even had those Blood Roses after everything that's been happening."

I returned my gaze to Tarquin.

"Anyway, what is this thing you say we can help you with?"

"That's the gold-plated question, it is? I dare say you'll enjoy this little story."

He took a deep breath to ready himself for the long explanation.

"Somewhere in this graveyard lies an object of tremendous power. Or so the legends say, anyway. It belonged to a family buried near here; the Surreys. I've been reading up on them. An ancient clan of eccentrics and oddballs. Fascinating people, truly. Old Johanna was the last. The poor, poor, poor dear. Had little money, no children, just this incredible heirloom passed down to her through the generations. Problem is, no-one knows what this object is. Only that it's an astounding piece of work. Seems Johanna took its secrets to her grave. Rather literally."

I raised my brows and crossed my arms.

"And you want us to retrieve this heirloom?" I asked.

Tarquin grinned and tilted his head.

"Well, why don't you get it yourself?" The Red Prince asked. "We're rather busy at the moment. Your legs don't appear to be broken."

Tarquin sighed again.

"It's a quandary, you see. I tried. I really did. But the servants that tend to the graves; their master isn't so keen on me. He caught me nosing around, and had those masked freaks chase me off. Alas, I am stuck sniffing out herbs and fungi on the outskirts."

He looked at the gate one last time.

"How's about this? You go in and complete whatever Godwoken business you need to get done. When you have time, I would be eternally grateful if you find her tomb afterwards. What you find will benefit us all in the long run. You, me and everyone aboard the Lady Venegence."

I looked over at my companions and they wore a similar face that I had. He was being rather vague. But perhaps this heirloom could be a powerful weapon to help us. We were going to need all the help we could get on our journey. I decided it was worth the risk.

"We'll complete our business first," I said. "Then we'll look out for Surrey's tomb."

Tarquin smiled and bowed.

"I sincerely cannot thank you enough, Godwoken," he said. "I shall wait here until you return."

He walked over to a nearby tree and sat under it. No doubt preparing for the rain that was inevitably going to come.

"He's hiding something. You know that, right?" the Red Prince said.

"Maybe," I said. "But I think we should play along until we know what he's up to."

"By that time, it'll be too late," the Red Prince said back. He looked over at the gate. "But I'm not going to worry about that just now. We've more important matters to attend to."

Just as the Red Prince finished his rambling, I noticed a figure walking by the gate. It was a female lizard.

"Excuse me?" I called out to the Lizard. She stopped and slowly turned to me. When I looked at her face, I could see her eyes were clouded grey. It was quite unsettling.

"We'd like to speak to Ryker," I said to her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said in a raspy but pleasant voice. "The master is not planning on meeting visitors today."

Perhaps I needed to slip a crucial detail to convince her.

"We're here on Godwoken business," I said. She gasped as if startled and responded still with a pleasant demeanor.

"My goodness, why didn't you say so?" she immediately pulled out a set of keys from her pocket and inserted one into the lock of the gate. She pulled it open and all four of us entered. She shut the gate and locked it behind her.

"Please, follow me," the lizard walked up the hill along the paved ground. We followed her. As we did, we saw an assortment of graves and crypts. In the distance, I got a better view of the Dwarven Funeral Tower as well as a Lizard Burial Pyre close to it.

But along with the inanimate objects were animate ones too. At least, that's what they should be classified as. They were the masked servants Tarquin talked about. These grave keepers wore purple robes and had a similar presence as silent monks. Almost lifeless when standing still but could return to the realm of the living at any given moment. It was rather unsettling. But we knew we had to converse with Ryker if we were to improve our source skills.

As we walked, the lizard hummed tunelessly. Not so much a melody but more of a meandering moan.

" _Ten spans under, humans slept; Ten spans up the dwarves were kept._

 _Lizards burned in lasting flame; Elven trees toward skies did aim."_

A song defiantly fitting for a grave keeper.

Before long, we found ourselves entering a small courtyard of a mansion on the northern end of the yard. The grave keeper walked up to the door and unlocked it.

"The master is waiting for you," she said in her whispery pleasant voice.

"Thank you," I said. One by one we entered the mansion. The interior was rather fancy. Carpets of red were spread around the wooden floor along with a cozy fireplace, a dinner table and bookshelves, display stands and paintings lining the walls. Quite a contrast to the murky stone garden outside.

"It's quite unique architecture," the Red Prince said. "Reminds me a lot of my palace. Though the walls and ceiling are stone instead of wood."

"Godwoken," a deep voice came from an open door on the right wall. "Please come in. We've some things to discuss."

I looked at the others and took a deep breath. We entered the door to find ourselves in a study. Around the room, half a dozen masked servants stood around. A man sat at a desk on the other side. He was an elf. He wore a black robe, not unlike what Tarquin wore, and a black hat. Fitting attire for a necromancer. His skin and blonde hair were rather pale, but his eyes were rather intense.

"Please take a seat." He motioned to a single chair. It looked like the others weren't going to be sitting with me. I did as he told me. When I had positioned myself properly, Ryker began his introduction.

"Such a rare and exquisite pleasure to have a visitor. My name is Ryker, the master of Stonegarden Cemetery," he leaned back in his chair but never broke eye contact with me.

"Since you are Godwoken, I can safely assume you wish to have me expand your knowledge of the Source, do you?"

"Yes," I nodded. I kept a cool persona in the presence of this man. Ryker twiddled his fingers as he looked up. He was pondering something.

"I'm not a generous man. But I could give you what you seek, if you offer something in return. A completely fair exchange between Sourcerers."

The Meistr did say Source Masters were dangerous and sometimes unreasonable. But we needed to endure and do what we needed to do.

"What is it you want from us?" I asked. Ryker leaned forward and put his arms onto the table. He looked at me with his sinister looking eyes.

"You must go to the Blackpits. There's a cavern there. In it, you'll find a stone tablet of considerable value."

Well that was convenient. We needed to go to the Black Pits once we were finished here.

"Bring it to me and I will expand your capabilities with Source."

I nodded my head.

"We'll get there and retrieve for you as soon as we can," I said.

Ryker made a sinister smile and bowed his head.

"I will be waiting for your return."

I took the cue and stood up from the chair. I was about to turn away, but the Red Prince stepped forward.

"Before we leave to retrieve your tablet, I must ask you a question."

"By all means," Ryker leaned back in his chair.

"I was told a fellow lizard arrived here not too long ago. Do you recall him entering the premises?"

Ryker looked out the window then back at the Prince.

"Indeed, there was," Ryker replied. "But I'm afraid you won't be able to speak with him if that was your intention."

 _Uh-oh._

"What happened?" the Red Prince said. I could sense the slightest bit of anxiety in his voice.

"He was pursued by at least three other lizards. My care takers took care of the attackers but not before the lizard they were after threw himself into the flames of the Lizard Pyre."

He pointed out the window.

"If you wish to pay your respects to your kin, you can go out to the Pyre yourself before you leave."

The Red Prince stood silent for a moment. I couldn't tell if his body showed hints of defeat or sadness. But he bobbed his head to Ryker.

"Thank you, we must be off."

He turned around and we followed him out of the room. The door to the study closed behind us.

"So, does this mean it's the end of the road for you?" Sebille asked the Red Prince.

"I don't think so," the Red Prince brought his fingers to his chin. "He threw himself into the flames intentionally. I believe he anticipated what was coming to him and might have left behind a way to give me what I need."

I raised my brows. Ifan and Sebille came to the same realization.

"We should head to the pyre right away," he said.

He turned around and walked toward the door. But before I even took three steps following him, a voice caught my ear. I stopped and turned my head to see something rather odd crawling on the floor from the fireplace. The others noticed me stop and turned around.

"What is it?" Ifan asked. I didn't respond. Instead, I took four steps toward the fireplace and kneeled.

There on the floor looking up at me was a red Salamander. Salamanders were a rather fascinating reptilian species. Though they were not as intelligent as Lizardkin, they possessed rather unique traits. They lived in many climates of Rivellon and many inherited the traits of their surroundings. Those that lived in colder snowy regions could breathe ice. The ones that lived in volcanic lands could breathe fire while those that lived in stormy tropics could unleash lightning. They were also common pets in the Empire. In fact, Brell had two white Salamanders in his care when I visited his family estate from time to time.

But what was surprising about this Salamander was that it was speaking to me. Not just grunts and hisses common Salamanders made, but actual words. Words of the Old Tongue.

"Kin!" it said. "You speak to Xiuh, hatched from the egg of Zorrah. It pleases Xiuh to speak to lizards once more. But why does a dragonkin leave the Ancient Empire? Why does a dragonkin come to such a dark place?"

I looked around the room then looked back at the reptile who called itself Xiuh. I spoke gently so Ryker wouldn't hear.

"We're here to learn from Ryker," I told Xiuh. He made a hissing noise in response.

"The elf has many visitors, all manner of ape, but Xiuh never thought kin would come here. Has the Empire fallen so far? The old master would never have allowed such folly."

I raised a brow.

"How have you learned the Old Tongue of the Empire?"

"Xiuh's old master taught Xiuh. Consul Zara, esteemed Lizard Consul, was the most prestigious master!"

The name Xiuh spoke of resonated with me. Consul Zara of the House of Law. She was a very esteemed member of the House who overlooked trade in the foreign lands.

Xiuh hissed again.

"Until the elf killed Consul Zara…"

I gently gasped and glanced behind me at the door to the study. Xiuh continued.

"Killed Zara for gold. Then he stole Zara's chest. And stole Xiuh away."

Oh dear. Xiuh was being held as a literal prisoner here in this house.

"But my master's secrets are safe," he said proudly. "The vile elf cannot speak our elegant tongue, and he could not break open her chest. He tried for many weeks, but its enchantments are strong. In the elf's rage, it was thrown into the flames of our lizard graves. Even there, it could not be destroyed."

His eyes looked at my face for a moment. Then his eyes landed on my amulet.

"Xiuh had hoped to keep his master's secrets safe. But you wear something Consul Zara spoke highly of. It is right that you have what's inside the chest."

I looked down at my amulet then back at Xiuh.

"If you can douse the fire, kin, sing these words," Xiuh sung four verses in the ancient tongue. I softly repeated them until I got the song correct.

"Sing the song and the chest will open for you like a cracked egg. Honor the memory of Xiuh's master. She deserves nothing less."

The Salamander crawled back to the fireplace and rested himself at the foot of it. I stood up and faced the others. All of them were rather confused, even Ifan. Before any of them could speak, I beckoned everyone to head out the door so Ryker couldn't hear what I had to say. We stepped out of the door into the courtyard.

"You understood him? All I heard were segments of odd words." Ifan asked me. I nodded.

"He was speaking in the Ancient Tongue of the empire," I said.

"Really?" the Red Prince said. "I couldn't even understand a syllable uttered from him."

"So, if neither one of you could understand him, how was Mahalia able to?" Sebille asked.

I looked at both Ifan and the Red Prince. A fauna tongue couldn't understand the Old tongue and a Lizard couldn't understand Xiuh. I looked down at my amulet and put my fingers over it. A realization surged into me.

"I think this gives me fauna tongue in addition to refined fire breath. And since I'm fluent in the old tongue, I was able to understand him."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Well, that's handy," Sebille said. "What did that reptile say to you?"

I looked over at the Lizard Pyre in the distance.

"He said there's something at the Lizard Pyre that he wants me to have."

Everyone turned in the direction of the Pyre. We now had two things waiting for us amide the flames.

"Let's get going then," the Red Prince said. He led the way as we walked through the rows of gravestones and crypts. We arrived to see two dragon statue heads faced inward unleashing a torrent of flames every few minutes to keep the flames in the center going. I pointed to something standing in the middle of the fire

"There's the chest," I said. Before I could move in to look closer, the Red Prince uttered the words for the spirt sight. The rest of us did the same. When we opened our eyes, we saw the spirit of a Lizard man standing before us.

"It is the spirit of Brahmos the Wanderer," the Red Prince said. He took a step forward. He reached out and caressed Brahmos's ethereal arm. The spirit looked directly at the Red Prince. With both lizards standing face to face, Brahmos reached out his arm until gently caressed the Prince's his cheek. The spirit then sung a melody in the ancient tongue. Like a lullaby, the melody lulled both of them to sleep. The Red Prince was still standing but his eyes were closed, and his head was bent.

"I had no idea lizards could sleep standing up," Sebille said.

"Neither did I," I said. "I think it's best we try to get the chest out of the flames while we wait don't you think?"

The others nodded. We walked past the sleeping Prince to stand before the flames engulfing the chest. Just then, the statues erupted a torrent of flames that kept the flames in the middle strong.

"Now how do we get it out without burning ourselves in the process?" Ifan said.

"Maybe this will help," Sebille walked over to me.

She pulled something from her bag and presented it. It was a book. But not just any book. It was a spellbook. A spellbook about teleportation. My eyes widened and I took it from Sebille's hand. I never had the opportunity to learn about the field of teleportation. For one thing, it was a rather difficult field in the school of Aerotheurgy and I never had an opportunity to find a book for myself.

"Where did you get this?" I asked Sebille.

"Took it off Ryker's bookshelf when no one was looking," she said with a coy smile. "Figured you'd find a use for it."

While at first, I was appalled hearing that she stole the book. But after hearing that Ryker outright murdered Consul Zara, it was rather justified.

"Can you handle that spell?" Ifan asked.

"It's a rather tricky one," I said. "But I should at least try."

I scrolled through the pages until I came across a page with the text that taught the words and the technique of casting the simple teleportation spell. I looked over at Ifan.

"I need you to hold the book open for me while I cast the spell," I said.

"Of course," Ifan took the book and held it up in front of him for me to see.

"Thank you," I took my stance. "Better stand back."

Sebille backed towards the sleeping Red Prince while Ifan backed away one step still holding the book. I bent my knees. I held my left hand in front of me and aimed it at the chest. I raised my right hand behind me and aimed it past the sleeping Red Prince at the stone walkway, clear of any obstructions or wandering grave keepers. I moved my left hand in the motion illustrated in the book, then I did the same with my right hand. I did it one more time and felt I was ready.

"Okay, here we go," I said. I channeled the aerotheurgy energy. I spoke the words and motioned my left hand. Then I motioned my right hand. A surge of energy glowed in the palm of my hand and the chest radiated with the same energy. The energy enveloped the chest, then it disappeared. I felt the energy surge from my left hand and move down my arm. It passed through my chest. I turned my head. The energy flowed into my right ar-

"I know where we need to go!"

The sudden words of the awakened Red Prince startled me.

"LOOK OUT!" Ifan shouted.

Before the Red Prince could do anything, the chest materialized above him. It fell and landed square onto his back causing him to fall to the ground with a thud. I gasped and all three of us ran over to get the chest off him. We didn't stop to think that the chest would be hot to the touch but surprisingly it wasn't. When it was off, Ifan tried to pick him up. But the Red Prince shoved him off and got onto his feet with a familiar face looking straight at me.

"What was that for?!" the Red Prince shouted angerly at me. "Was that to get back at me for our argument we had earlier?!"

"No," Ifan jumped in. "We were trying to retrieve the chest from the flames while you were napping. You startled her and broke her concentration. That's why the chest landed on top of you."

The Red Prince kept his angry gaze on me for a while.

"You're lucky I'm in a rather good mood," he snorted and looked away from me. "Anyway, I know where I must go now."

"Is it another Dreamer to tell you where to go next?" Sebille said with a smirk.

"No actually," the Red Prince. "No more dreams. No more illusions. The secret of my soul waits for me in the flesh.

"Mind telling us what it is?" Sebille said.

"If I did, it wouldn't be a secret now would it?" the Red Prince said. Sebille frowned at him. He looked over at the horizon. "We need to go North. But don't worry, there is no rush. The vision showed me we would arrive with the sun high in the sky at midday. That means we will arrive tomorrow. We can go and retrieve the tablet from the Blackpits in the meantime."

"Well before we do that, how's about we take care of this," Ifan said lightly kicking the chest.

"Of course," the Red Prince said. "Even though it nearly killed me…"

He made a rather dramatic glare over at me before he continued.

"…I will say that this chest is a marvel of Lizard engineering. Nearly indestructible."

I kneeled before the chest and noticed several Ancient Empire pictograms all around it. There were no key holes or external locking mechanisms. Instead, I heard a deep rumbling inside the chest. I leaned closer and listened harder. The rumbling turned into the hisses and clicks of the old tongue.

"This chest recognizes Consul Zara as master," a feminine lizard voice spoke to me. "Speak her words or return me to the flames."

I sung the words Xiuh taught me and soon after, a quiet click came from inside.

"From fire to ash. From ember to flame."

The lid popped all the way open. All four of us peered inside.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Can anyone guess what's in the box?

Chapter was longer than I thought so I'm going to have to put the ending into the beginning of the next one.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The set of lizard robes, the dragon-shaped wand and the book were interesting on their own. But the fourth item in the chest was what caught my eye. I picked it up and gazed at it between my fingers.

It was a glowing blue gem.

The same size and shape as the red one in my amulet. It also had a rather cold energy that seeped into the tips of my fingers. I moved my gaze over to the others and all of them were as surprised as I was.

"Any predictions on what will happen when you put that into your amulet?" Sebille asked.

"Only one way to find out," I said. I stood up and the others did too while also taking a step back. I lifted my amulet from my bosom; the chain around my neck slackened. Slowly, I moved the new gem toward the empty slot on the bottom right. I could feel the energy in the gem grow stronger as it glowed brighter. The same thing happened with the red one in the amulet. The intensity grew and grew. When it was merely centimeters away, the gem was pulled out of my fingers and snapped perfectly into the slot.

A rush of cold energy surged from the amulet into my chest. I gasped. I hunched over and brought my hand over my now frozen heart. The cold surged from my heart into my throat. I opened my mouth and a flow of ice came out instead of fire. The ice then stopped when the blazing fire returned and melted the ice around my heart. Then the ice came back. Then the fire came back. Both the fire and ice ebbed and flowed as if trying to find an equilibrium. It continued until I felt it was equalized into a humming ball of energy.

The energy surged into my rib cage and splintered through each rib around my abdomen. It flowed to my spine and crawled up my back to my shoulder blades. My body lurched as I felt the energy pulse as if it was trying to burst out of my back. It pulsed again and again until I screamed when I felt something in my body give way.

I panted heavily. My vision was a blur. I could feel the hot and cold in my heart. But it felt comfortable and controlled. My exhausted body slowly regained its strength. When my vision cleared, I saw both the red and blue gems glowing in unison in my amulet. I lifted my head to see the others looking at me. Their eyes were so wide I thought they would bulge out of their heads. I felt nervous. Did something happen to me?

It was then I felt something odd about my body. I felt there was something on my back. Two things actually. It felt like I had two new appendages that came out of my shoulder blades. When I turned my head to look behind me, I gasped with so much shock I nearly fainted. My head snapped to the left then back to the right. I was right, there were new appendages coming out of my body. But they weren't arms.

They were wings.

Two dragon-like wings had grown from my back.

I looked up at the others with my mouth held open. They had the same amount of disbelief as I did. Slowly, I stood up. I felt the weight of my new wings throw me off balance. I fought for equilibrium and eventually found it. Slowly, I flexed my back and moved the muscles in my new wings.

The muscles that ran from the base of my back to the top felt like muscles of an arm while the rest of the wings felt like huge, webbed hands. I opened and closed my new "hands" first. Then, with my "hands" closed, I moved my "arms" around. Back and forth, I moved them. I did this over and over. As I did, I felt more control over my new wings. With that control came confidence. With confidence came ambition. And with ambition came desire.

I looked across the open space of the graveyard to see the start of a row of gravestones. I took my stance and breathed hard. But Ifan ran over to me before anything else happened.

"Be careful," Ifan warned. "Wouldn't want to break them on the first day now, would you?"

I grinned and nodded at Ifan.

"Don't worry, I'm just going to try to lift-off and glide over there," I pointed over at the gravestones. Ifan nodded. He and the others moved out the way. The way was clear for me now.

I took a deep breath. I made two long hops forward and jumped. I opened my wings and slammed them as hard as I could toward the ground. I felt my body launch up into the air. But it wasn't enough. I only managed to cover half the distance and land on the ground stumbling. Ifan rushed over and helped me keep my balance. When I came to a stop, I looked over at him. He had a rather enthusiastic smile on his face.

"Give it another go," Ifan said. "I think you've almost got it."

I nodded still panting with excitement.

"Yes," I said. "I think I know what I need to do."

I walked back to my starting position and Ifan retreated to the side. From the first flight, I had a feeling that this was like swimming. More specifically, the breaststroke. Inwards then outwards. Pull up and push down. But I needed to do it faster because air gave less resistance than water.

I took my stance again. I took a deep breath. Two long hops then I jumped. I slammed my wings down. I pulled them up and slammed them again. Then again. I had gained more altitude. I held my wings open and I glided through the air. I came closer and closer to where I was aiming to land. Unfortunately, it looked like I was going too far instead of too short this time. Impulsively, I made a flap to the front of me to slow down. I did slow down but not enough. I overshot and had to skip over one of the gravestones with my foot. I tucked my wings in and fell onto the ground. The landing was hard, but I didn't feel serious pain on my body or my wings. I lay on the ground for a bit panting from the excitement. Ifan run over to me and helped me up.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Ye- yeah," I said still painting.

We stood there looking at each other. Eventually, my frantic panting turned to laughing. Ifan cracked a smile and he laughed too.

"That was-," Ifan struggled to form words between his laughs. "That was amazing what you did!"

"Y-yes," I too struggled to speak between my laughs. "I-it was incredible!"

He placed his hand on my shoulder and tried to take deep breaths. I did the same. When we finally calmed down, we turned to see Sebille and the Red Prince looking at us. Both of their eyes showed amazement. Then Sebille looked over at the Red Prince with a familiar smirk on her face.

"Feeling a little jealous, your highness?" Sebille said with a curtsy. The Red Prince rolled his eyes.

"I won't lie in saying I don't feel the least bit envious," the Red Prince said with his formal composure. "But what awaits me is far greater than anything she's received thus far."

"Really?" Sebille raised a brow. "I suppose it'll be quite a surprise then?"

The Red Prince replied with his own smirk.

"Best not to spoil it."

"Okay," Sebille shrugged. She looked back at me. Her smirk then turned into a pondering stare. "Now how are we going to keep a low profile when we have to slip by the Magisters in the future?"

That was a rather good question. But as soon as I began to ponder it myself, I felt a surge of energy that ran from the top of my wings all the way down to my back. In almost an instant, I felt my wings dissolve. I looked behind me, and they were gone. But I still felt two areas of energy in my shoulder blades. I knew from the energy in my back, I could summon the wings whenever I wanted.

"Well I guess the problem solved itself," Sebille said.

"I guess so," I said. I looked over at where I took off on my first two flights. "There's still three more things in the chest to look at."

I walked over to the chest and looked inside. I took ahold of the dragon-shaped wand. It radiated with a warm energy not unlike the one from the red gem in my amulet. I took my stance and I swung the wand. A small ball of fire launched from it and landed harmlessly into the firepit. I put my previous wand into my left holster while I put the new one on my right.

The next item was the book. It was bound together by a locking mechanism in the center of the cover. Like the chest, it had no keyhole or gears to turn. Instead there was an insignia on the lock that looked like a dragon. I leaned in to hear if there was another voice that told me to speak a password. Unfortunately, there wasn't.

"Now how are we going open that up, you suppose?" Sebille asked me.

"I don't know," I said. I ran a finger over the insignia. "Perhaps when this is over, I'll do some research to find out how to open it."

I opened my bag. The six books I carried filled it to near capacity. When I thought about it, I didn't have any use for the six spellbooks I used already; though I needed to practice more with the Teleportation Spellbook. Perhaps it was a good idea to lighten the load for myself. I took the six spell books out of my bag and put them into the chest. That left a lot more space in my bag. I put the locked book into it

The last item was the new set of lizard robes. The cloth of the robes was thicker than the one I had. Was this made of dragon scales and bones? It came complete with a chest piece, loincloth, gauntlets and foot pieces.

"Want us to turn our heads while you change?" Sebille asked.

I looked around the graveyard and saw a nearby masked servant digging in the dirt.

"Perhaps later," I said. "Away from other prying eyes."

I took the robes out of the chest and put all the pieces into my bag with room to spare. That left the chest with the spell books I was leaving behind. All of Consul Zara's belongings were in my care now. I closed the lid and stood up. Our task here was done.

"All we have to do now is find Surrey's tomb now."

"Sounds good," Ifan said. He looked around yard with a suspicious eye. "Although I think it'd might be a good idea to stay together rather than split up for this."

"I second that notion," the Red Prince said.

"Same here," Sebille said. I nodded. We walked down a path through the graveyard keeping our eyes peeled. As we did, Ifan walked up to my side.

"Does this mean Consul Zara was associated with Slane and the Dragon Knights?" Ifan asked me.

"Possibly," I said. I looked down at my amulet. "Or perhaps she was collecting Dragon Knight artifacts. They're very rare."

"That's a possibility," Ifan said. "Still, it's amazing what you can do now."

"It's definitely more than what I could have imagined," I said.

Something caught Ifan's eye. He walked over to a stairway leading down into an underground chamber. He walked over to a nearby plaque.

"Here it is," he said. "This is the tomb."

I looked left and right. There were no Masked Servants to witness our attempt at graverobbing. We walked down to the door at the bottom but found it to be locked.

"Stand aside," Sebille pulled out her lockpick and went to work right away. Five seconds later, the door clicked and creeped open. One-by-one, we went through the door.

"My word," I said. "I've never seen so many bones."

Nearly half of the wide chamber had piles of bones and skulls laid on the floor.

"But no burial or sarcophagus," the Red Prince said.

"Maybe that's what they want you to think," Sebille said. "Look around."

We spread out. I walked over to the left end of the room. After a few seconds of searching, I found a button on the wall. I climbed the mound of bones and pressed the button. I heard a click and a rumbling from behind the opposite wall.

"Did that do anything?" I said.

"It might," the Red Prince say. I saw him press another button on his side. And wouldn't you know it, the wall next to the second button slide open. We walked through to find a sarcophagus in the center of the room.

"Is this Johanna's resting place?" I said.

"One way to find out," the Red Prince took ahold of the lid and pulled. It didn't move. He pulled harder. But the lid wouldn't budge.

"It's sealed tight," the Red Prince said.

I looked behind me to see an archway that led into another room. When I looked in, the new room had a single pressure plate. On the wall was an odd-looking machine with pipes stretching over the walls. I couldn't see any buttons or levers on the machine.

Perhaps…

"Stay here," I said to the others. "I'm going to try something."

I walked into the room alone. I took a deep breath and stepped onto the pressure plate. The machine in the room started to rattle. A flow of dusty air flowed out of the pipes. Then a metal grate slid over the archway. I was trapped. Instinctively I jumped off the plate. The machine stopped and the grate pulled up. I wasn't trapped. Ifan stepped through the archway.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

"I'm fine," I said. "Did that do anything on your end?"

"No," Sebille shouted from the other room. "The sarcophagus didn't move an inch."

I brought my finger to my chin. I looked over at the pressure plat and the machine.

"So, what exactly are these here for?" I said.

"We've seen everything that's available to us…" Ifan said.

I snapped my fingers.

"We've seen all that our normal eyes could see," I said. Ifan caught on and grinned.

"Use your spirt vision," I called out to the Red Prince and Sebille.

"Okay," Sebille said. I closed my eyes and spoke the words. I opened my eyes and looked around. I couldn't see anything and neither did Ifan.

"See anything now?" I called out to the other room.

"Yes," the Red Prince shouted. "There's three levers on the wall here."

I grinned. We were getting somewhere.

"Try pulling them," I called out.

I heard the Red Prince grasp one of the levers and groaned trying to put it. But after a few seconds, I heard him give up like he did with the sarcophagus.

"They won't budge either," he said.

I looked over at the pressure plate and the machine again.

"Go into the other room," I told Ifan. "I think I need to be standing on this so they can pull the levers."

"That's a good idea," Ifan said. But then he eyed the pressure plate suspiciously. "But do you think it's a bit dangerous? Pulling the levers might be a trap."

Ifan did have a point.

"If it does, I'll be protected," I said. I lowered my hands and spoke the words. An Armor of Frost encased me.

"Go on, I'll be okay," I said giving him a reassuring pat on his shoulder. Ifan nodded and walked out of the room.

I turned to the plate and took a breath. I jumped onto the pressure plate. Like before, the machine started running again and the grate closed on the archway again. Time to see if this was going to work.

"Pull the levers," I called out.

"Alright," the Red Prince said. I heard a click.

The machine rattled and water spewed out of the pipes. Thankfully, the amount of water it was only toe deep in the room I was in. I saw Ifan look through the grate at me.

"Pull the next lever," I called out.

I heard another click. Unfortunately, the next result wasn't as harmless as the first. The machine rattled and a bolt of lightning sparked from it into the water. I felt the electricity surge from the water into my toes and up my legs. Thankfully, my armor of frost kept the electricity from killing me. But I did still feel an amount of pain surging throughout my body.

"Mahalia!" Ifan shouted grasping the grate trying to pull it open.

"I'm okay!" I shouted through my grated teeth. "Just pull the last lever! Pull it now!"

I heard the final click and the electricity stopped. But I panicked when I saw flames come out of the pipes. I closed my eyes and flinched. But instead of a blazing death, I instead felt a comfortable warmth all over my body.

I opened my eyes to see my Armor of Frost was gone. But the flames all around me were bright blue instead of orange. It felt like the fire was healing me not hurting me. It reminded me of the water in the Sanctuary of Amadia when it was blessed. Instead of blessed water, this was blessed fire.

I looked up to see the grate had moved away even though I was standing on the pressure plate. Ifan stood in the middle of it looking at me with concern but also confusion.

"Did that do anything?" I called out.

"Yes," Sebille shouted. "The sarcophagus moved out of the way. There's a hatch under it that leads down somewhere."

Alright. We were on the right path. I stepped off the pressure plate. I heard a large click, but thankfully nothing else happened. I walked through the blessed fire all the way to the archway. Ifan walked over to me.

"Are you-"

"I'm okay," I said. "The fire was blessed."

He looked into the room where the blue fire still burned then back at me. He grinned.

"Alright," he said clapping me on the shoulder. "Then let's get back to it."

I nodded and looked over at the Red Prince and Sebille. Like she said, the sarcophagus slid out of the way to reveal a hatch under it. The Red Prince opened it to reveal a ladder leading deeper into the tomb. One-by-one, we descended the ladder.

At the bottom, I turned around to see we were standing in the true tomb of Johanna. At the end of the chamber, at the top of a small flight of stairs, was another sarcophagus. Along the back wall were at least eight piles of gold. But those weren't the things that stood out the most. Leading up to the base of the steps, there was a formation of at least eighteen statues of soldiers; nine on the left, nine on the right.

"Oh dear…" Sebille spoke in a very sarcastic voice. "I wonder if those statues will come to life to kill us if we try to open the sarcophagus."

I didn't need to be a scholar to know the set up.

"Might be a good idea to destroy all of them before we lay a finger on the real sarcophagus," Ifan said.

"I agree," I said. But then a thought entered my head. "Although, don't you think destroying one will cause the others to come to life too?"

"Maybe," Ifan said stroking his beard. "How's about you use one of your wide area spells on that side."

He pointed to the left. Then he looked over at the Red Prince.

"Meanwhile, you use your fire breath on the others."

He pointed to the statues on the right.

"Me and Sebille will stand by to pick off any stragglers afterwards."

"Sounds adequate," the Red Prince said. They looked over at me. I nodded. The Red Prince walked over to the statues on the right while Ifan stood next to him. I walked over to the statues on the left and Sebille joined me.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Ready," the Red Prince replied.

I brought my arms up and spoke the words. A Dizzying Bolt came from the celling and landed right in the middle of the formation of soldiers. The six in front fell apart instantly. From behind me, I heard the Red Prince unleash his flame breath. As expected, the remaining three soldiers on my side, and the remining three on the other side, came to life and started to march toward us.

"Take the right, I've got the left," I said quickly to Sebille.

"Got it," she sprung forward and engaged with the rightmost soldier. I faced the last two coming at me. I reached into my core and felt the fire and ice in my heart. I could choose which one to unleash. I chose ice. The cold rushed up my throat and a torrent of ice spewed out of my mouth. After being pelted by the cold for several seconds, the soldiers stopped moving and fell to pieces. I looked over at Sebille. To no one's surprise, she was already finished with her opponent. I looked behind me and both Ifan and the Red Prince had destroyed the remaining soldiers.

"That was rather easy," the Red Prince said sheathing his sword.

"Don't try to jinx it," Sebille said putting her daggers away.

"Regardless, good work everyone," Ifan said. Everyone nodded.

We all looked up at the sarcophagus. Time to see what this heirloom was. We climbed the steps but before we could touch the sarcophagus, a spirit appeared next to it. Our spirit vision was still in effect.

The spirit was that of a middle-aged human woman. It must have been the spirit of Johanna. When we were close enough, the spirit turned to us rather abruptly. She clicked and squawked like a cornered crow facing down a hungry owl.

"Are you the new servant, then?" she spoke in a rather obnoxious voice. "My, my. You look like my old handbag if it'd set it in the sun too long."

All I could do was contemplate how this woman insulted me.

"You have brought my tea, haven't you?" she said impatiently.

I was too surprised to respond at first. But I eventually put on a persona to counter her demeanor.

"I'm afraid not," I said professionally. "We've co-"

"You only speak only when spoken to, scaley!" she interrupted. "Now, where's my tea? And it better not be that earthy stuff from that lizardland of yours."

I couldn't take it. I looked over at the others with a creased brow. They all shook their heads. We weren't going to get anything useful from this spoiled hag. I turned away from the spirit leaving her to complain and throw her harmless insults at me.

The Red Prince and I took ahold of the lid of the sarcophagus and slid it off. Inside, the body of Johanna lay. In her hands, there was an object that was what I assumed was the heirloom Tarquin wanted. It looked to be the hilt of a sword, but there was no blade attached.

I took a nervous breath and reached in. I removed each of her fingers until it was free. When I touched the metal, my hand jolted and grasped the hilt. I abruptly pulled it out and held it in front of me.

" _When as one, I am slayer of sin and the bane of the living._

 _Restore my twin; make me whole._

 _In archive of old the blade resides. An isle of blood where demons abide._ "

A voice rattled in my head. It was as if the object was speaking to me. Speaking to me in an archaic tongue. The language of demons.

" _I'm demon true, taken to isle of vaults, exorcised from host most dear._

 _The priest – Surrey by name – confined my soul to blade of glass and bone._

 _Then split in twain, when madness boiled his blood._

 _Anathema, I'm called, but only half's before you._

 _In archives rest the blade._

 _The path is marked; now on to isle embark."_

"Are you okay?"

Ifan's voice snapped me back to reality. I gasped and I looked over at him.

"What happened?" Ifan asked.

I looked at the object in my hand.

 _Anathema_ , it called itself.

"I'm okay," I said. "But I think we're going to need to talk to Tarquin about this thing."

Ifan looked over at _Anathema_ in my hand.

"The more we know the better," he said. I nodded. I opened my bag and put it inside. We had what we came for. But I saw Sebille and the Red Prince were looking at the piles of gold along the back wall.

"Did Tarquin say she had, 'little money'?" Sebille asked us.

"Maybe it's little in comparison to the wealth the rest of her family had," I said.

"Still," Sebille took out her coin purse. "It'd be a waste to have this wealth not be used in the real world."

She did have a point.

"Might as well," I said pulling out my own coin purse.

We walked over to the piles of gold and started loading them up. Thankfully, our spirit vision ended so we no longer had to hear Johanna's continued complaining and insults. With eight piles of gold, we took two piles each. With the tomb picked clean, we walked over to the ladder and made our way out to the surface.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Red Gem:**

+3 Pyromancy

Innate Abilities:

-Dragon's Blaze

-Pet Pal

 **Blue Gem:**

+3 Hydromancy

Innate Abilities:

-Deep Freeze

-Spread Your Wings

Anyway, I've finally reached one of the many parts of the story I've been so eager to get to. Also, keep an eye out because another one is coming next chapter.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Any luck in old lady Surrey's tomb?" Tarquin asked.

I reached into my bag and presented the hilt. Tarquin's eyes widened like, as he said before, a kid in a candy shop. He reached out for it, but I pulled my hand back slightly just out of his reach.

"Before we give it, we need some answers," I said.

Tarquin kept his hand up for a moment before he lowered it. He let out a long, lugubrious sigh.

"I suppose it's time I leveled with you," he said. "That is the hand-grip of the fabled Anathema."

"I know," I told him. "It told me what it was when I touched it. But what is Anathema?"

Tarquin inhaled deeply through his nose and a grin grew on his face when he let the air out.

"It is a sword capable of annihilating anyone," he said. "Even a Divine."

Everyone raised their eyebrows. Tarquin raised his hands holding an imaginary sword before us.

"Imagine it. Holding in your hand a force that could wipe away the sun and shadow. A sword of life and death, miracle and sin. A sword of…atonement."

He put his imaginary sword away and pointed at the hilt in my hand.

"Now might I ask, was that all that you found in the tomb?"

"The hilt said it's other half is within an archive on the Isle of Blood," I said. "Which I assume is-"

"Bloodmoon Island," Tarquin finished. "Of course, there are many secrets hidden within the isle."

He looked at me sincerely.

"I know it might be too much to ask, but when you have the time, could you please find the vault and retrieve the blade? When you do, I'll assemble the sword for you to use it. It will all be worth it, I promise you."

I looked over at my companions. They all shrugged.

"Bloodmoon Isle is on our to-go list," I said. "We're not able to reach it today. But perhaps in the next day or two, we'll keep our eyes open."

Tarquin showed his gratitude with a humble bow.

"Thank you, Godwoken," He held out his hand still in his bow. "Now, if you'll give me the hilt, I shall return to the Lady Vengeance and prepare for your return with the other piece."

I brought my hand over Tarquin's and deposited the hilt into his palm. He raised his head and looked at the artifact with an admiring face. He slowly stroked the length of the hilt with his fingers before he stowed it within his robes. He walked down the road back towards Driftwood. We were all alone in front of the graveyard. A clash of lightning flashed in the sky. The rain threatened to come down on us.

"How long until we reach the Black Pits?" I asked Ifan.

"From here, it's about two hours. But that's on a clear day or night."

"I'd prefer not to be out in the rain for more than ten minutes," the Red Prince said. "I say we find shelter and rest for the night."

"I'd concur," Sebille said. She looked over at the gate behind us. "But I don't think this is a good place to hunker down."

"That's okay," Ifan said. "I've been around these parts several times as a _former_ Lone Wolf. If I remember correctly, there should be a cave with a fire pit ready for us just up those hills."

He pointed to the hills to the left of the road south.

"I trust you with that," I said. "We should get there post haste."

"Agreed," Ifan said. "Let's go."

Ifan started running down the road and we followed him. After about five minutes, Ifan turned off the road up the hills just as the first drops of rain started falling on us. With every moment, the raindrops were coming in harder and the wind was starting to pick up.

"There!" Ifan pointed to a formation of rocks at the base of a hill. We ran to it to find an opening that was the entrance to the cave. One-by-one we entered the cave just as the rain came down and the wind blowing in all its fury.

"Whew," I said. "We made it."

"That we did," Ifan said. We looked up to see an incline leading up deeper into the cave with several ledges flanking the incline. Ifan walked up the incline and we followed him. It got dark pretty fast but not enough for us to not see the firepit Ifan talked about. Nearby were piles of leaves, twigs and logs ready to be used.

"Perfect," Ifan said. He got to work immediately. A minute later, everything was set. He looked over at me.

"Do you mind giving me a light?" he asked.

"Not at all," I said.

I kneeled before the firepit and took a deep breath. With a gentle blow, I let out a small torrent of flames. The pit caught fire and illuminated the cave. It was rather spacious. In addition to the piles of wood read to use, there was a kettle and a cooking spit.

"Alright," Ifan pulled his bag off his shoulders. "How's about we treat ourselves to a little feast for our first day on our adventure?"

Ifan opened his bag to bring out a leg of lamb.

"Oh, you can't imagine how much I crave cooked meat," the Red Prince said.

"Then how's about you three make yourselves comfy while I prepare our feast?"

The rest of us smiled and nodded as we each took our bags off our shoulders. As Ifan put the meat onto the spit, everyone laid out their bedrolls and pulled off the extra pieces of clothing that weighed us down. I laid myself down on my bedroll and patiently waited as Ifan cooked our dinner. After several more minutes of smelling the meat and having our stomachs churning, Ifan finally pulled the leg off the fire. He pulled out four plates and a dinner knife. He cut the meat into fourths and placed each portion onto the four plates. He gave each of us a plate. But before we dug into our dinner, Ifan then took out a bottle of mead from his bag and popped the cork off.

"Here's to us on our first day on our quest for Divinity," he held the bottle up and drank a gulp out of it. He then passed it over to Sebille.

"To adventure," she said and took a rather large swig of the mead before she passed it to me.

"To friendship," I said. I took my own swig of the alcoholic beverage. Next was the Red Prince.

"To Divinity," he said and gulped his share. Ifan took the bottle back then we all dug into our dinner. The crispy meat was amazing. I bit away at it letting the meat slide down my throat into my accepting stomach. Everyone else was the same because none of us said a word as we ate our meals. But eventually as our bellies started getting fuller, Ifan was the one to break the ice when he looked over at Sebille.

"So…" he said. "About you being the Prime Scion…"

Sebille looked down at the fire pit for a moment.

"I suppose I promised to tell you about that when I was in the mood," she said. "I guess now's as good a time as any."

She put her plate aside and sat upright. I had finished my meal and so did the others. We all did the same.

"Quite a revelation that came out of the blue," Sebille said. "Which is somewhat ironic considering I'm supposed to be my people's foremost memory keeper."

"Well, how are you handling it?" Ifan asked.

"To be frank, it exasperates," she said.

She looked down at the fire in silence with a melancholy face.

"Well at least you were able to remember the 'woman you must be.'" I said.

"Yeah, I suppose so," she said. I could tell she was conflicted about the revelation.

"But it conflicts with the 'woman you want to be', doesn't it?" I said.

She looked over at me and pursed her lips. She sighed.

"Gods, I was so young," she said. A warm smile slowly grew on her face. "I used to love poetry. I used to love wandering the forests for days on end. I'd swim in the rivers and forget to dress after. It was fine, I was alone. I'd bask in the sun; sleep nestled among bear cubs. Nothing out there would harm me."

But the pleasant memories ran out when her face morphed back into a glum melancholy.

"But always they would find me; the Scions. Always the Mother Tree would call me back, for one day I'd be free no longer. One day my legs would be roots; to wander would be but one lone memory among millions."

"A rather interesting predicament," the Red Prince said stroking his chin. "The ability to rule with your own servants but without the ability to enact in the pleasures of an individual. Far more difficult to choose than having the ability to rule with one's own body and desires."

The Red Prince's comment wasn't exactly comforting; it was rather him saying his thoughts to himself out loud. But he did have a point.

"Then there was the Mother Tree herself," Sebille continued. "When she spoke to me, I saw visions of myself. I sat enthroned under a vast forest canopy with thousands below me. They spoke my name as one voice, one body. Like I was the cornerstone of their existence. In that moment, I didn't know myself. Who was I? But when I asked that question, I felt something else. I felt rage. Anger. I saw the forests that were destroyed. Wounds that would leave scars when they were healed. Then I saw the ones responsible for it. I saw them suffering the same fate as the forests they destroyed. But it didn't stop there."

She stopped. I looked over at Ifan.

"I can understand wanting revenge on the Magisters," he said. "But why would she want to go out to kill everyone else?"

"Probably because she sees her elves the same way Tir-Cendelius sees me," Sebille said.

"What do you mean by that?" I said.

"You remember the first time we spoke to our gods outside Fort Joy?" Sebille asked.

We nodded.

"Well, when Tir-Cendelius told me I should be the next Divine, he treated me…" she trailed off.

"…like a slave?" Ifan finished.

"Exactly," Sebille replied. "His was an exercise in power. Brutal, like all true power is. His was a lesson; meant to discipline, not to edify. And now that I remember what the Mother Tree showed me, it was almost the same thing."

Ifan looked away for a moment. His face showed an uneasy realization coursing in him.

"So, I ran," Sebille continued. "Unfortunately, what happened was more terrible than what I could have ever anticipated. Soft-leafed branches became vicious, like whips. Moss-bedecked rocks became sharp, like the stone axes of old. I grew weary, I was bleeding; in pain, and how I gasped when for the first time an animal eyed me with malice and growled."

Her voice cracked as her tone dipped lower into more dread filled territory. Both Ifan and I scooted closer to her.

"That is when I heard them. The whispers and the taunts. The low howls of men. The snare cut so deep. The blindfold. It made me panic! The dark…"

Both Ifan and I could see a single tear dangle from her eye. Ifan was the one to move in and wrap his arms around her. I responded by reaching out and putting my hand onto her shoulder. She uneasily looked over at Ifan then at me. She blinked and the tear fell down her cheek.

"Thank you," she said to us. Ifan pulled out of his embrace while I pulled my hand away. She took a deep breath and continued.

"That very first moment of darkness. I've never been so scared ever since. Then there was the stench of those men. The burn of the ropes. The jeers and the kicks. Until the dark went silent. Even those barbarians didn't speak in the presence of the Master."

She paused. She looked over at the Red Prince, Ifan and then me.

"But I'll not speak of him or his methods. Not now anyway."

"It's okay. You don't have to," Ifan said. I nodded.

Sebille smiled at both of us. But the Red Prince only looked at Sebille with a rather peculiar glance.

"Well, that was rather interesting. I thank you for telling me," he said. "But I believe it's time that we get some shut eye. We have quite a few things to do tomorrow and I'd like to be well rested for it."

He poured a small squirt of water from his water sack onto his hands to wash them. He then retreated to his bedroll and tucked himself in.

"Well, I'm very happy we were able to talk," I said with geniality in my voice.

"You're welcome," Sebille said. "But pretty boy's right, we should get some rest."

"Agreed," Ifan said. "I'll have Afrit take watch duty tonight."

Ifan hummed allowing Afrit to come out quietly. Afirt made a quiet yip and walked over to the ledge next to the incline leading to the entrance of the cave. He circled around and lay down with his ears at the ready.

Meanwhile, Ifan tended to the fire while Sebille and I retreated to our bedrolls and tucked ourselves in. Tomorrow would be another day and we were going to need to be prepared for it. Once Ifan was finished, he retreated to his bedroll. After a few more minutes, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

My eyes shot open along with a gasp. I looked around to see it was still nighttime outside the cave. The others were still asleep, and the fire had died down to embers. I sat in my bedroll for a moment before I decided to stand up quietly and walk over to the ledge Afrit was posted at. The rain had stopped outside the cave and the ground was very wet. When Afrit heard me approach, he popped his head up and looked over at me. He made a soft whimper and I responded by petting his head. Afrit accepted it graciously before yawning and going back to sleep. I sat down next to him putting my feet over the ledge. I looked at the darkened night. With the clouds still overhead, the moon didn't shine to illuminate the land like it usually did.

When I recalled the dream that woke me, I could only remember bits and pieces. Some pieces of were about the Voidwoken and the destruction of Rivellon. But others were very unsettling feelings of claustrophobia. Like the world around me was squeezing me in. Not just physically, but mentally. Like everything about myself was being squeezed and restrained to the point where I could barely recognize myself.

I moved my eyes from the dark countryside down to the ring on my finger. For what felt like an eternity, I stared at the ring. I couldn't move my eyes away from it. Not only that, but the ring felt tighter around my finger for some reason.

I heard footsteps behind me. I didn't look behind me. Instead, the person behind me walked over to my left and sat next to me. I kept my eyes on my ring until the person sitting next to me took notice.

"Need to share some thoughts?"

I broke my gaze from my ring and moved it over to Sebille.

"I suppose I do," I said. I lowered my hand and leaned my head back. I sighed.

"Hearing your story made me think," I said.

Sebille tilted her head. She wasn't her emotional self when she went to sleep. She was her upbeat self with her sly smirk on her face again.

"Ooooooo. The scholar is thinking. Color me interested."

Sebille said turning herself to face me on all fours like an eager dog.

"You know what you said about there being triplets of yourself?" I asked her.

Her eyes widened.

"Let me guess," she said eagerly. "You're seeing triplets of yourself too?"

I didn't say yes or even nod my head. I only looked at the dark landscape outside. But it was the confirmation she needed. She held her mouth open with a rather giddy smile over it. She turned to facing the cave entrance with her body leaning back and her legs crossed.

"Well pardon me for asking, but would you feel comfortable telling me what yours are? I'm rather curious."

Her cheery attitude was at odds with my rather somber state. But I did feel like I wanted to say something.

"Well if you want to know, I guess I'll start with the woman I have to be."

I took a breath to remember my old life.

"It was a rather simple life. I'd work around the shop whenever my parents needed help. I'd go out to the springs to swim and play. I'd lay in my bed with the next book I could get my hands on. Then my source powers manifested. Which meant I could attend the Academy my family never had the privilege attending. I had a chance to become something greater within the House of Law. I could become a scholar and marry to bring honor to my linage."

I looked down at my ring.

"Brell was a good friend when I was a child. We'd play at the springs and go on mini adventures in the city. But then he stopped coming to see me just before my source powers manifested. After I passed my classes and returned home, Brell was there to propose to me."

I looked out to the dark landscape again. I imagined seeing the walls and towers of my home past the horizon covered in darkness.

"I thought it was the perfect storm. I would be married to my friend who was of a family of wealth and influence. In the weeks that followed, I was invited to meet with his family on several occasions. I stayed at his family manor and attended many of his business galas and parties. He always gave me gifts. Books, jewelry and dresses made from his own personal tailor. He always cherished seeing me in those outfits and having me by his side at his parties. It seemed my life and my family's future were perfect."

I stopped there. When I looked over at Sebille, she tilted her head with her intrigued and giddy smile.

"But…" she said.

"But…" I began. "After being caught by the Magisters and being a part of this journey, the woman I am now is far different than the woman I have to be."

She turned her body to me and sat crisscross.

"How so?" she said.

"Well for one thing, the woman I am had to defend herself and kill people. That's quite a departure from the girl who never kill anyone and wanted to make peace whenever possible."

"True," Sebille said. She leaned forward. "But what else?"

"Also, she's spoken to people who are different than her meaning she could understand the pain they go through."

"And…" she leaned even closer. I sighed.

"And she's having doubts about thinking the woman she's supposed be is the woman she wants to be."

Sebille squeezed her eyes tight with a smile and held her hands in fists of victory. All I could do was roll my eyes. Then she took several deep breaths to calm herself. She sat back down facing the entrance with her legs crossed.

"Please, don't let me keep you," she said. I sighed again before I continued.

"Being out here, without the Empire, my family or even Brell to see me, the woman I am feels like she's someone else. Someone who wants something more than to marry someone of wealth and improve her social status."

Sebille tilted her head again.

"Furthermore, she's starting to think maybe her betrothed doesn't see who she really is. And maybe her parents may only want her to marry for their own gain."

Sebille pursed her lips and shrugged.

"Now she doesn't exactly know what she wants," I said.

"Could it be Divinity?" Sebille suggested. I pondered it for a second.

"I don't think so," I said. "To be honest, becoming a god isn't on my mind that much. Yet here I am, a Godwoken traveling with a group of other Godwoken trying to save the world from destruction."

There was a pause between the two of us until Sebille faced me again with her legs crisscrossed.

"Well, if it isn't Divinity," she said. "Then I think it might be one of two things. Or maybe both."

"Really?" I raised my brow at her. "And what may they be."

She brought up a single finger.

"The first might have something to do with a little something that was given to you by a friend you made."

She brought the same finger to her bosom and rubbed the area where an imaginary necklace hung. I brought my own hand up to my amulet and ran my fingers over the two gems in it.

 _I believe I have found the perfect soul to weld it and do immeasurable good for this world._

"And the second?" I asked bringing my hand down.

She brought up the second finger on her hand.

"The second…"

She looked to her right back at the fire. I turned my head around to look for myself. When I looked at Sebille again, she had tilted her head showing a rather adoring and loving face. But instead of holding up two fingers, she brought both of her hands to her bosom and had them in the shape of a heart. I was caught completely off guard that I gasped and felt a rush of blood flow to my face.

"I- wha- no- w-why would you think that?"

"Come on," she said with her smug grin. "I've seen how he looks at you. How he was the one to help you out when you got your new wings. He has something for you, I'm sure of it."

"Th-that's ridiculous," I said. "I-it's nothing like that. W-we're just friends. That's it."

Sebille didn't answer immediately. Instead she looked over at the campfire then back at me with her smug grin lessened.

"Well whatever you think it is, just consider what I said. You're free to do what you want after all."

She winked and stood up. She quietly walked back up to the campfire leaving me and Afrit alone at the ledge. When I looked over at Afrit, he whimpered and tilted his head with two eyes that I could only assume was him encouraging me to follow Sebille's advice. I let out an irritated sigh and rolled my eyes. But another whimper later, I gave in and pet Afrit on the head. I stood up and quietly walked back to my bedroll. But before I tucked myself in, I looked over at Ifan sleeping in his bedroll. I looked down at my ring then back at Ifan. At that moment, I didn't know what to think. But eventually I laid myself down on my bedroll and returned to sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I've discovered that the hardest thing to do, but also the most rewarding thing, is writing dialogue for characters and achieving both character consistency and the outcome you want from it. This one was especially challenging but after redrafting it at least 3 times, I feel it to be very rewarding with how it turned out. Do you think I succeeded this time?

So anyway, thank you again for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"So, we get to the Blackpits, find Hannag, find Paulie's mother and we go to the cave to find the tablet Ryker wants, is that right?" I said as we finished our breakfast Ifan prepared for us.

"And after we return it to Ryker, we head north for my little errand," the Red Prince added in.

"Sounds doable within the day," Ifan said. "Let's get everything together and head out."

As everyone gathered everything together, I retreated behind a boulder to change into my new robes. The new robs fit me almost perfectly. I put my old robes away into my bag as I gathered the rest of my belongings. Once everything was gathered, we departed the cave into the damp hillside. After ten minutes traversing the wet ground, we arrived at the road again. We followed it south for the two-hour journey to the Black Pits.

Sebille and Ifan were in front while I was in the middle with the Red Prince behind me. I could hear mumbles between the two ahead of me. Was Sebille telling him about our conversation last night? Some part of me wanted to jump in and make her stop. But the other part wanted to stay out of the way because being impulsive would only make things awkward and worse for myself. In the end, my latter half won out and kept myself from interrupting. As we continued to walk down the road, I noticed in the corner of my eye the Red Prince had walked to my side.

"I think we've gotten off on the wrong foot, you and I," he said. "I'm willing to accept your apologies and move on from our past transgressions."

I was about to fire back at him about thinking I needed to apologize. But when I looked back on what happened, he really did nothing wrong.

"You're right," I said. "I'm sorry for slapping your hand, my outburst and for dropping the chest onto you."

"I accept your apologies," the Red Prince said. I raised a finger before he spoke further.

"However, as a member of the House of Law, I still see slavery, especially the scar, as a vile tool that is evil."

"I suppose that's fair," the Red Prince said. "Anyway, I want to ask you a question."

I put my finger down and raised a brow.

"Okay, ask away," I said.

"Why are you seeking Divinity?" he asked.

I tilted my head.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that," I said.

"To achieve Divinity, someone must have a greater reason to obtain it. It can't just be because one is call Godwoken. So, I ask you: why do you want Divinity?"

The question really got to me. Even from last night with my talk with Sebille, I didn't even think about Divinity until she brought it up. I was about to repeat my answer to Meistr Siva's question, but I felt that answer was just a guess. I felt like I needed to be honest with myself now.

"I… honestly don't know," I said. "All I wanted to do was go home but then Zorl-Stissa came to me and said I needed to save the world from the Voidwoken."

"I see," the Red Prince said looking away to ponder. "Since you have no real motivation to achieve Divinity, why should you have it? Moreover, if you don't have principles or desires, how do you know you're not being manipulated?"

I was about to object but then I remembered the first time I encountered Zorl-Stissa. How she used her song to test my ability to trust. At first it seemed I was easily seduced. Then at the last minute, I rejected the song and pulled away. Did that say something about me? As a diplomate of the House of Law, I was supposed to hide emotions that could be used to be taken advantage of. On so many occasions, I've let those emotions take me over. The Red Prince seemed to do a better job than I did, especially when I screamed at him the other day.

"Are you saying Ifan and Sebille are trying to manipulate me?" I asked.

"Is it not plausible?" the Red Prince said. "You're obviously manipulated by the elf's story to lash out at me. And there's also the fact she sent a dreamer to die while also threatening to kill you because you're a lizard. She hates lizards just as much as their Mother Tree does. If she attains Divinity, I can't imagine the ruin she'll inflict on the Empire; onto your family."

I looked up at both Ifan and Sebille before looking back at the Red Prince with a narrow gaze.

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because in this world, you can only trust your kin," the Red Prince said. "The Divine Order is about to attack our home and kill thousands of our people. And if the elf or human achieve Divinity, I am certain they would want to destroy us too. Diplomacy is not going to work. We need someone to protect our people."

"And you believe you're the person for the job?"

"I have the desire to obtain Divinity and the passion to fight the enemy. If I obtain Divinity, I will reclaim my throne and unite our people against the voidwoken and all future enemies of the Empire. All that I ask is that you put aside your petty distain of the House of War and allow me to ascend so I can protect our people. Moreover, I will personally see that your family and betrothed be raised to the highest rank of our society. It is what you've been wanting all your life, is it not?"

Unbeknownst to him, I was questioning that part of myself. But even with my doubts, I still cared for the wellbeing of my parents. Furthermore, my kin were in danger from not just the Voidwoken and they needed the House of War to protect them. A large part of me still wanted to challenge the House of War's use of slavery. But was it petty compared to the bigger picture? Then there was the feeling I had about the Red Prince's statement that I had no real desire for Divinity. If I didn't have a desire for Divinity, why was I here? To only help someone else have it? Zorl-Stissa did in fact tell both the Red Prince and I were her champion. The question was, which one of us was "back-up" as Sebille put it?

I looked down at my ring, and then my amulet. I took a deep breath.

"I'll… consider what you said," I said. "But for now, my primary focus is on getting to the Blackpits so I can find Paulie's mother."

"Fair enough," the Red Prince said. "Best to have that burden alleviated so we can focus on the more important tasks at hand."

He did have a point even if it felt narcissistic. At least Paulie and the other children would be safe for the time being. I walked ahead of the Red Prince but stayed behind Ifan and Sebille. For the remainder of the trip, my mind swam with overwhelming thoughts. After the two hours had passed since our departure from the cave, we came to a hill.

"Alright, the Black Pits are on the other side of the ridge ahead," Ifan said pointing up the hill.

We all climbed the road to find a clearing showing the ridge Ifan spoke of. From the top, we saw the coast again along with the oil wells erected along the fields that earned the location the name of the Blackpits. But when we moved our eyes to the town adjacent to them, my cold blood grew even colder.

"Oh no…"

Plumbs of smoke came from orange blazes that engulfed the town.

"No, no, no, nonononono-."

I dashed down the road in a panic paying no attention to the others. I kept running and running only thinking about Paulie. I needed to find his mother. After three minutes of running, I was nearing the entrance of the town. It was then that I noticed the corpses of several voidwoken and Magisters alike were littered in front of the gates. But I didn't think why they were there as I continued to run.

"Mahalia, wait!" Ifan caught up and grabbed my hand. I stopped and turned around. My heart pounded so hard and I breathed so fast. I didn't know how I didn't pass out.

"We can't rush into this! We need to make a plan!" Ifan said.

I still panted as I looked back and forth between the entrance and Ifan. Slowly but surely, the panic started to ease. I took several deep breaths to catch my breath and calm myself down. I still felt fearful for Paulie's mother, but it felt more controlled.

"Okay… okay," I said in an exhausted whisper. Ifan let go of my hand. I then noticed Sebille and the Red Prince had caught up. "What do we do?"

Ifan looked to the right of the town gates at a tree-covered hill.

"Let's head up there and take a look at what we're up against," he said.

He crouched leading us up the side of the hill. We kept low until we came to a spot where we peered over a boulder to overlook the town. Houses were in flames. Bodies littered the streets. And all around were almost two dozen Divine Order soldiers.

"Why are they here?" I said in horror. "Why are they doing this?"

Just then, Sebille pointed at a nearby house. I gasped. On the porch was a line of five people restrained and on their knees. When I looked closer, I became even more horrified to notice it was a human family of five. A heavily armored Magister paced in front of them with his great sword hoisted on his shoulder. They were going to execute them; I was sure of it.

"We have to save them," I said.

"There's at least twenty soldiers down there," the Red Prince said. "We're outnumbered."

"We can take them if we use the element of surprise and the environment to our advantage," Ifan said.

He pointed to the house.

"There's six by the hostages."

He pointed to a bridge leading to another section of the town.

"Six across the bridge."

He pointed at another section further away that lead to a gate to the Black Pits itself.

"And eight more by the gates."

He returned his gaze to the house with the hostages.

"If we take out the six by the hostages quickly, the others won't notice. We'll be able to regroup and ambush the others when they come for us."

"Alright," I said. "So how are we going to take care of them, Ifan?"

Ifan observed the scene a while longer before he pulled back behind the boulder. He told us what the plan was, pointing at spots on the palm of his hand. When everything was laid out, we nodded in agreement. We slowly and stealthily dispersed and got into our positions. From my position, I shifted my gaze to Ifan. He shifted his eyes to me and nodded as he aimed his crossbow at his target. Then I looked over at the Red Prince and Sebille who nodded saying they were ready too.

 _Okay Mahalia._

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

 _You can do this. Those people are counting on you._

My eyes shot open. I hoped two times down the hill and jumped. My wings emerged from my back and I slammed them down. I was lifted into the air and broke through the tree line. I banged my wings down one more time and held them open to float down onto my target. By now, I was pretty sure all the Magisters in the vicinity had their eyes on the flying lizard in the sky.

I made a quick glance at the archer on the elevated wooden platform in the middle of the section. She pulled an arrow from her quiver but before she could feed it into her bow, another arrow landed right into her eye.

I returned my gaze to the Magister interrogating the hostages. He looked up. I closed my wings slightly allowing me to fall just a little faster. When I was close enough, I extended my leg and kicked the Magister square in the helmet sending him backward down the small flight of stairs.

I landed onto the porch, hearing the startled hostages gasp from my sudden appearance. I retracted my wings into my body as the Magister I kicked rushed to pick up his sword. But before he could get to his feet, I engulfed him in a stream of flames from my mouth. The four other Magisters noticed me and drew their weapons. But the fourth one reached for his warning horn. I readied myself and threw a quick ball of fire from my wand at the Magister. Even though I didn't kill him, I managed to hit him in the chest to make him stumble and drop his horn. The other Magisters charged at me, but my backup had arrived. Afrit, the Red Prince and Sebille charged out of the trees and engaged the three Magisters. The fourth one I hit tried to pick up his horn to call for help, but Ifan fired another arrow landing square into his throat. I looked over at the remaining Magisters and sure enough, they were all taken care of by the others.

I turned around to the people who were tied up.

"It's okay, we're here to help," I said as I ran over to who I believed to be the father. I used the sharp nails of my metal gauntlet to cut the rope from his hands.

"Untie everyone else!" I said once he was free. I ran from the porch to see Ifan emerging from the trees. We ran over to Afrit, the Red Prince and Sebille who stood looking at the bridge.

"The ones across the bridge are coming," the Red Prince pointed his sword.

I saw that all six of the Magisters were running towards us clustered together. It was perfect to unleash a wide area spell. But when I saw a nearby oil barrel, I had an idea.

"Ifan! Fire barrel bomb!" I took my stance for the teleportation spell and pointed at the barrel and the bridge. Ifan knew exactly what I wanted to do.

"Got it!" He pulled a fire arrow from his quiver. I spoke the words and motioned my hands just as Ifan loaded and ignited the arrow. The barrel disappeared and surged through my arms. As the Magisters were halfway across the bridge, the barrel appeared in front of them and started to fall to the ground. Just before it touched the ground, Ifan unleashed his arrow. It landed square into it causing the entire middle of the bridge, and the six Magisters that ran across it, to burst into a violent eruption of flames. With them out of the way, we turned our attention to the last eight Magisters by the gate. They noticed us and were on their way now.

"What's the plan now?!" Sebille asked. I looked up at a nearby tower which had an elevated platform.

"Ifan," I pointed up to the platform. "I can fly us up there to give Sebille and the rest support."

"Alright," he said. He ran towards the tower with me behind him while Sebille, the Red Prince and Afrit readied themselves for the eight-on-three battle. When we were close enough, I opened my wings and brought my arms around Ifan. We both jumped and I slammed my wings down. The extra weight made it harder to gain altitude, but I continued beating my wings until we reached the top. I dropped Ifan who landed onto the platform just fine, but I was going a little to fast. I stumbled again and nearly fell off. But Ifan managed to grab my hand and pull me back onto the platform.

I huffed in relief and said a quick thanks to Ifan as I retracted my wings. Ifan gave me a quick pat on the shoulder before we both turned around to the battle below. Six melee magisters were nearly on top of Sebille and the others. Meanwhile, a spellcaster and another archer stood back and were about to unleash their volley onto our three companions.

"I've got the archer!" I pointed at the two ranged Magisters. "You take the spellcaster."

I reared my head back as I built up the fire in my heart. At the same time as Ifan unleashed his arrow, I unleashed a fireball from my mouth. Both of our projectiles flew down and hit their marks. The spellcaster fell over with the arrow in her eye while the archer flailed as she was consumed by the flames.

All that was left was the six that were engaged with the rest of the group. Afrit held back for a prim opportunity to strike since he wasn't protected by armor like the Red Prince. Meanwhile, the Red Prince and Sebille were taking on three Magisters each. Thinking fast, I moved my arms and spoke the words. I targeted the Red Prince. I saw an aura surround him. At first, he seemed to be surprised. But then he continued his fight with renewed vigor. He engaged his three aggressors as he evaded all their attacks thanks to my spell. Sebille had managed to take out one of her attackers but it left her vulnerable for a moment. Unfortunately, a moment was enough for one of the Magisters. He swung his sword and managed to hit her just above her left hip. I was shocked when I saw her spin onto the ground clutching her wound. The Magister that got her moved in as well as the other one by his side.

Thankfully, Afrit took the opportunity and leapt onto the second Magister from behind. I unleashed a lightning strike onto the magister about to strike Sebille. He arched back from the surge of electricity leaving him vulnerable. Sebille took one of her daggers in her hand and threw it straight into the Magister's throat. Meanwhile, Afrit held the last Magister in a lock with his teeth dug into his hand. Ifan unleashed his arrow and it landed into the Magister's eye. Both Magisters fell dead. When I looked over at the Red Prince, he had finished the remaining Magisters without a scratch on him.

Unfortunately, not everyone got through unharmed. I grabbed Ifan and brought my wings out. We flew down to the ground and landed softly. I let go of Ifan and retracted my wings. We both dashed over to Sebille who clutched her wound; blood seeping through her fingers.

"How bad is it?" Ifan said kneeling to her.

"I've had worse," Sebille groaned in pain. "But this still hurts big time."

I wanted to heal her, but I knew my healing spell wasn't strong enough for this kind of wound. But I suddenly felt the cold in my heart grow. It was like the power of the amulet was surging through me trying to tell me something. Could it mean…?

"Stand back," I patted Ifan on the shoulder. He looked up at me before he got up and allowed me to kneel to her. I held up my hand over her wound.

"Do you trust me?" I said to Sebille. She shifted her eyes back and forth from my eyes to the wound. Eventually, she removed her hands to reveal the severity of her cut. I closed my eyes and spoke the words of my healing spell. However, unlike the times I used it before, I felt the cold in my heart channel through my body to my hand as it radiated with the healing energy. It was like my amulet was enhancing the healing. When the energy dissipated from my hand, I opened my eyes to have them open wide in surprise. The wound was gone and Sebille gasped in relief. I met her eyes with mine. Hers showed surprised then gratefulness. She looked down at my amulet.

"I told you that amulet was given to you for a reason," she said with a chuckle. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said. I took her hand and brought her up. Afirt came up and Sebille gave him a pat on the head before he dissolved and returned to Ifan's chest.

With the battle over, I turned my attention over to the family we lost track of during the fight. All five of them were untied and walked out into the open. But what struck at my heart was what the father held in his hands as he fell to his knees. In the frenzy of battle, I failed to see there was a sixth person in the lineup. The reason was because that person laid on the porch dead. And that person was a human boy.

"My boy…my boy m- bo-…" the tears ran down his face as he leaned in and nestled his head into the chest of his lifeless son. His wife and the rest of his family leaned in a large embrace. The heat of the battle had faded, and the reality of the situation slammed into me. I walked up to the family with the rest of the team following me. They lifted their heads to see me.

"I'm…I'm so sorry," I choked seeing the family grieve over their child. "If… if we'd arrived sooner…"

"No," the mother sniffed and wiped away the tears before she looked up at me. "No one could have expected this to happen this day. But thank you for saving us stranger. Even if it was too late for our littlest one."

She brought her face back down to her boy.

"What happened here?" the Red Prince asked.

One of the other family members with a feathered hat and blond beard walked up to us.

"It's…" he said putting his hands on his hips and looking down. "It's my fault."

"Who are you?" I said.

"I'm Gwydian Rince," he said. "I'm… a Sourcerer. My parents are dead. The only family I had left was with my aunt, uncle and my cousins here."

He looked around at his family then at the death and destruction around us.

"I thought I could use my Source to protect us when the voidwoken came for us. But I was wrong. The voidwoken came and drew the attention of the Magisters. They came here and now we're the only ones left."

He sighed with his head bent. I grew nervous hearing him say they were the only ones left.

"We're looking for a person named Hannag," Sebille said. Gwyd's head shot up at the mention of her name. "We were told she might have been here."

"Hannag was my teacher," Gwyd said. "She was a lizard who came here one day and noticed my source. She took me as her student and taught me how to use it. But then she disappeared days before today. I don't know where she went. Maybe it's best I don't know."

It was unfortunate that Hannag wasn't here for us to meet her. But it seemed to be more fortunate under the circumstances because she could still be alive. But the problem was we didn't know where she was. But then I remembered the other person we came here to find. I gasped.

"If you're the only ones left alive…" the panic returned to me. "Was Byres here when the Magisters attacked?"

The family looked up at me. Gwyd tilted his head.

"How do you know about Byres?" he asked.

"Her son, Paulie… I took him with me when we escaped Fort Joy."

Gwyd's eyes widened. The older daughter of the family walked up next to Gwyd.

"Paulie's alive?" she asked.

"Yes. He told me he lived here with his mother. I'm trying to find her."

Gwyd and his cousin looked at each other with a shared sad look.

 _Oh-no…_

"I'm so sorry," Gwyd said. He pointed to one of the bodies laying on the ground. It was a woman who had the same red hair as Paulie.

"No…" I spoke in a crackling whisper. I rushed over to her and fell to my knees. I pulled her body face up to reveal a hole in her chest from being stabbed with a sword. Her eyes were open showing she died with the thoughts of never seeing her boy again. I undid the straps of my gantlets and pulled my bare hand out. I reached up and closed the dead woman's eyes. I noticed she wore a rather special necklace. A silver trinket with a small sapphire in the center. I took a hold of it and pulled it free of her neck. I looked at it in the palm of my hand before I slipped it into my pocket. I noticed that Gwyd had walked up to my side.

"I…" Gwyd tried to say something.

"No," I interjected. I had tears flowing in my eyes once again. I stood up and looked down at him while I did my best to contain my own sobs.

"What's done is done. We can't change what happened. You should go with your family and find someplace safe. We need to attend to our own endeavors."

I looked over at the body then at the gate to the Blackpits. There was a silence between us for a while until Gwyd spoke up.

"Where's Paulie now?"

"He's safe aboard a ship on the coast," I said. "I wanted to find his mother so he'd be safe."

Gwyd looked back at his family. But before he could say anything, I spoke first.

"I don't want to burden your family with another soul to look after," I said. "I'll look after him until I can get him someplace safe myself."

Gwyd looked up at me before he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You're a brave soul to come in and save us from the Magisters like that. Even braver for looking after Paulie."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring gave it to me.

"If you come across Hannag, give her this so she'll know I'm okay."

I looked down at the ring and then nodded at Gwyd before slipping it into my pocket.

"I wish you well," Gwyd said. "And thanks again for saving us. You're a true hero."

He turned around and walked back to his family who started gathering what they needed to leave this horrid place. Ifan came up and immediately placed his hand on my shoulder. I placed my own hand on top of his and looked down into his eyes for a moment. I closed my eyes and shook my head. I turned around and picked up the woman's body. I walked behind the nearest house and placed the body down onto the ground. I started to dig into the dirt with my bare claws. Ifan and Sebille took two nearby shovels and joined me while the Red Prince stood back and watched. Eventually, the burial was deep enough. I placed her body in and the three of us put the dirt back on top of her. When it was finished, we stood together and stared down at the grave in silence.

This was what the Divine Order had become. Killers who murdered innocent people including mothers and their children to get what they wanted. What was I going to say to Paulie? I told him I would find his mother. But I failed. I failed him. Would he forgive me? How would he move on now that he no longer had a mother?

In the corner of my eye, Sebille turned away and walked back to the ruined town. I felt Ifan gently touch my arm. I looked over at him. He sighed and glanced sideways before he gently motioning his head. It was time to go. I looked at the grave on last time and sighed. I nodded and followed him back.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I feel a little conflicted about this chapter. Would the Red Prince try to convince Mahalia about his perceived entitlement to Divinity even after Mahalia called him out? Moreover, from what you've read of my original character, would she have reacted as calmly and considerately as she did here, or would she act like she did after her interactions with Sebille and the Lady Vengeance? I've redrafted the conversation so many times you can't even imagine.

Anyway, here's my condensed version of the battle at the Blackpits. As always, thank you for reading and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

We exited the town through the gates that lead to the Blackpits. The fields were littered with several wells protruding out of the ground. From my studies, I learned that these wells were operated by several workers to deposit the extracted oil into barrels. Indeed, there were several barrels of oil around the wells. But there wasn't a single worker around. Everything was abandoned.

"The Voidwoken must have had everyone here spooked," I said.

"Couldn't blame them," Ifan said. He looked up at the mountain side and pointed. "Then again, perhaps the Magisters evicted the workers."

Just ahead was an incline in the rock wall that lead to a cave. Just by the entrance were several crimson and white tents.

"What are they doing here?" I said.

"Whatever they're here for, we need to find what we set out here to do," the Red Prince said.

Ifan crouched and we followed his lead up to the camp. When we were close enough, Ifan peaked over the ledge.

"How many?" Sebille whispered. Ifan looked down at us with a face of surprise.

"None," Ifan stood up and we did the same. We walked into the camp to see it was deserted. All around were pieces of junk and scraps of books.

"Curious about where everyone went," the Red Prince pondered.

"Must have left in a hurry," Sebille said.

Ifan kneeled to the dirt. He gently ran his gloved hand over two skid marks in the ground.

"Seems they must have found something inside the cave and hauled it out on a cart. Judging by how deep these marks are, it must have been heavy."

What Ifan said made me ponder. What did the Divine Order find in the cave?

"Well regardless, we've got to get in there and find our tablet," the Red Prince said.

"If they haven't found it already," I said.

"Only one way to find out," Ifan said. He led the way into the cave with the rest of us following. The walls of the cave were lined with several torches. I could tell from the formation of the cave this was an excavation site. But the rock seemed relatively undisturbed. There must have been digging in this cave long before the Divine Order arrived here recently.

We followed the path to a wide opening. In the center, light from the sun shown from a massive hole above. That light showed a rather gruesome scene. There were several corpses of Voidwoken laying around as well as pools of red blood and some mangled body parts scattered around.

"Must have been a standoff here," Ifan said. "At least the Order still has the decency to gather their dead."

The sarcasm in his voice told us he was on the same level as us in that the dishonor far outweighed the honor for the Divine Order. We looked around the area and saw four tunnels leading in different directions.

"So, where do we go now?" I asked.

Sebille picked up a severed arm that lay next to a pool of blood.

"Perhaps one of our Magister friends can tell us," she said. She opened her mouth and took a rather large bite out of the arm. The Red Prince and I looked away. Even though I knew this was a commodity of elves, I still couldn't stand seeing it happen in the flesh. When I heard Sebille swallow, I looked at her to see she was looking up; like how she did when she licked my arm that night when I first met everyone. When Sebille's eyes returned to observing the land of the living, she looked down at the pool of blood.

"Poor sap had a faceoff with the Voidwoken as they were hauling something from within the cave."

She dropped the arm and pointed to the second tunnel from the right.

"What were they hauling?" Ifan asked.

"Something called 'The Aeteran.'"

The name made me bring my fingers to my chin and rack my brain. Ifan took notice.

"Does the name ring any bells?" he asked.

"Maybe," I said. "We should get down there to see if it is what I think it is."

Ifan nodded. We moved over to the tunnel Sebille pointed to. When we entered, we saw a mine cart track stretching down the length of the tunnel. Looks like we found out how they transported what they found to the entrance. We followed the track until we reached a bridge that stretched over a large chasm. All around the chasm were glowing green objects embedded in the walls and piles of rock. Along with the green gems were objects that were like the artifacts I saw in Myster Siva's saferoom. The Magisters were unearthing artifacts from a long era ago. The scholar part of me was very curious and wanted to know more about what was going on here. But I knew our mission was more important. Along with the glowing artifacts, there were other mine tunnels that were caved in and their bridges collapsed. Thankfully, the main bridge was still intact. Slowly, we crept across the bridge until we were safely on solid ground again. We continued to follow the track until it came to a fork in the tunnel.

"Oh decisions, decisions," the Red Prince sighed.

"Where do you think we should go?" Ifan looked over at me. I was surprised I was the one being asked.

"Mmmmm…" I pondered. "Let's go right."

Ifan nodded and the others did too. We walked down the tunnel until the track ended suddenly with several mine carts clumped together on the side of the wall. The cave continued further, likely the fresh excavation the Divine Order performed here for several weeks by the looks of it. We followed the fresh excavation until we came to a new hole that led to an open chamber. We passed through it to find ourselves in a surprising location. Much like the chamber under the Braccus manor, there was a ruin of an underground building. Several walls were erected around a vast cave. But the most interesting part was what lay in the center. It was a courtyard of sorts.

Again, there were several Voidwoken corpses littered all around along with pools of blood. But to my surprise there were bodies of crimson clad Magisters around too. But when I walked closer to one of the corpses, I saw a familiar black hew around the eyes and mouth. The bodies were those of silent monks like the ones that attacked the Lady Vengeance two nights ago. The Divine Order had the honor to gather the bodies of their sentient members when they pulled out, but not the bodies of their meat puppets who were once people. I sighed.

In the center of the courtyard was a large pedestal. When I crypt closer to it, I felt something radiating from it. Like residual energy from what lay there before.

"This must be where the Aeteran was before the Magisters took it," I said.

"So, what do you know about this 'Aeteran?'" Ifan asked me.

"Not much," I said. "It was a name mentioned in my studies of ancient ruins. It's said to be a device of some kind. From what I can put together, Dallis unearthed the purging wands at Fort Joy to suck the source out of people. If Dallis was interested in the Aeteran, I can only assume it could be something like a large purging wand."

"But what does she plan to do with something like that?" Sebille pondered. "Is she going to use it to suck the source out of Sourcerers at an accelerated rate?"

That seemed likely. Though I felt there was something more to it than that.

"Well whatever the reason, there isn't anything we can do about it now," the Red Prince said.

He was right. We needed to find the tablet Ryker wanted. I looked around the chamber at the ruins.

"Let's spread out and see if the Magisters missed anything on their way out," Ifan said. "If we can't find anything, we should go back and go up the path to the left at the fork."

"Sounds good," I said. We dispersed to the corners of the ruins and combed through everything. I walked into a room with several bedrolls and tables set up. On the tables were pieces of broken artifacts that were found. The Magisters must have been unearthing what they could until they were ordered to pull out. After several more minutes looking through the room, I didn't find anything useful.

"I believe I found something!" I heard the Red Prince shout from the other side of the chamber. I ran over to his location and the others caught up too. He stood before a wall and held his nails over a large crack on the edge.

"Though I'm the strongest here, I require assistance with this."

He grabbed the edge of the wall and started to pull. Ifan kneeled and took a hold of the edge under the Red Prince. They pulled with all their strength and the wall started to move, pieces of rock and dirt crumbling around it. Once it was opened all the way, it reviled a new chamber. We stepped through. In the middle of the new chamber was a ten-foot tall obelisk. Much like the artifacts in the chasm we passed through and in Myster Siva's saferoom, it had a metallic outer shell with a glowing green interior.

"Could this be where our tablet is?" Sebille asked.

"Only one way to find out," I said.

I approached the obelisk. As I did, I could feel an energy emanating from it. But the strange thing was, it was an energy that felt like it was pulling. Pulling me closer to it. I reached out with my hand. I could feel the obelisk pull something from my body through my arm. It was pulling my source.

At first, I wanted to pull my hand away. But before I did that, I noticed something. At the base of was a glow that was brighter than the rest of the length of the green length up the obelisk.

 _Perhaps…_

I lay my hand on the metallic surface of the obelisk. I felt it pull the remainder of the source I could spare from my body. I gasped and pulled my hand away. Ifan came up and took a hold of me. I looked down at him, noticing his face of concern. I smiled in response.

"I'm okay," I said. Ifan kept looking at me for a moment before he was convinced. He let me go. I looked back at the obelisk. As I suspected, the brighter line had moved higher up the side of obelisk. It was like a glass that was being filled with liquid. And that liquid was source.

"It looks like it requires source to open," I said. "If you three fill it up, perhaps it'll open."

Ifan walked up to the obelisk and laid his hand on it. Like me, he gasped and pulled his hand away while the line on the obelisk grew to over half the height. The same happened with Sebille and the Red Prince. Once the Red Prince finished, the line was full. The glow of the obelisk intensified and surged. The four corners of the obelisk suddenly pulled apart and hung in midair. Inside, more pieces of the obelisk rearranged themselves into different positions. In the center was small pedestal with something on it. It was a metallic tablet. It must be what we were looking for.

I walked over to the pedestal and gently took the tablet. I paused and looked around. Nothing happened. Thank goodness. I walked over to the others who looked at the tablet in my hands.

"Does the tablet say anything?" Sebille asked.

I looked down at the tablet. Engraved in it was a collection of pictograms depicting the assembly of something; a scythe of some sort. Above was a word inscribed in a language that looked familiar. My studies at the academy had paid off because I knew what it meant.

"Swornbreaker," I said. My eyebrows shot up from realization.

"What's a Swornbreaker?" Ifan asked.

"It's a rare artifact of an ancient time," I said. "The books I've read say they were used to break the vows one made to others."

"Vows?" Ifan said. "You mean like allegiances to someone."

"Someone who has a magical tether that isn't easily broken from just running away," I said.

Ifan looked over at Sebille.

"Does that mean this Swornbreaker could possibly be used to undo things like a slave scar?"

I felt a surge of hopefulness when Ifan mentioned the possibility. But it evaporated when I recalled my studies.

"The scar doesn't work that way," the Red Prince said. "Unlike, say, pacts with demons, the scar is not bound to a single master. Like I said when you two were rudely eavesdropping on us, he who knows the song, controls the slave."

Sadly, it was true. Even I knew that there really wasn't anything I could do to free Sebille of that accursed scar.

"The only way from a slave to be free is to kill the person who knows the song," she said.

Ifan sighed in defeat. I did too. But I took a deep breath and refocused myself.

"Well regardless, this is the tablet we were looking for. We should start heading back to Ryker."

"I couldn't agree more," the Red Prince said. "Once we finish with Ryker, we need to head north post haste."

Sebille turned her head and looked at the Red Prince with a creased brow.

"My, you're rather anxious to get there, aren't you," Sebille said.

"The dreams told me I needed to arrive where I need to be in the midafternoon today," the Red Prince replied.

Ifan pulled out his map and held it out for the Red Prince to take the other side with his hand.

"It's the late morning now," Ifan said. "We should be able to return to Ryker just around noon."

He pointed to an area north of Stonegarden Cemetery.

"We'll have enough time to head north through Paradise Downs if that's where you're headed."

The Red Prince observed the map and ran his finger over the paper, careful not to puncture it with is nail. He stopped at a spot north of Paradise Downs.

"Yes," the Red Prince said. "That'll do."

"Alright then," Ifan said. He put the map away while I put the tablet into my bag.

"Let's make haste," Ifan said. We all nodded and started to make our way out of the cave.

* * *

After two hours traversing the black pits and walking back up the road we came, we arrived back at the graveyard just half an hour past noon. The Red Prince was pleased with our timeliness. The same grave keeper let us in through the gates and we went straight to the mansion. But when we entered Ryker's study, he wasn't at his desk. Instead, one of his masked servants pointed down to a hatch we didn't notice when we were here yesterday. We gave each other a look of concern.

"Down we go then," I said. The others nodded. I was the one to grab ahold of the handle and pull it open. A ladder was there leading down into the chamber. One-by-one, we descended the ladder to find ourselves in a stone hallway with a closed door at the end and an open one on the right. We took the cue and stepped through the door. What met us was a sight and smell that brought me back to our encounter with Redeka on the island. All around were bodies of the deceased in piles on the floor and on stretcher tables.

"Typical for a necromancer," I said in a suppressed whisper. The others nodded in agreement. We walked out into the middle of the room. At the end of the room was an elevated level with a protruding circle on the end. It was like a small stage. Behind it was a desk set up by the back wall. As we could expect, at least eight masked servants stood around the level we stood on and flanking the stage. Rising from the desk and turning around to face us was their master.

"There you are, Godwoken," Ryker said to us from the center of the circular stage. "I'm eager to hear your good news."

I put on my persona and answered.

"We have it," I said to him.

"How marvelous!" His lips trembled impatiently. His eyes darted behind me at my pack. He held up his hand.

"Please, come here and show it to me."

I took off my pack and pulled it out. Ryker made a small gasp seeing it. As I walked to the stairs to the right leading up to the stage, I shifted my eyes left and right at the servants surrounding us. I walked up to the elven necromancer.

"Here you go," I held out the metallic tablet to the elf. He took ahold of it and gently took it from my hands. He slid his fingers across the engravings on the tablet, his eyes enraptured by what he was seeing.

"Exceptional," he said with awe. "Truly. The bond can be broken…"

 _So, he has a pact or something he wants out of._

He walked over to the desk and placed the tablet on it before he returned to me.

"Our bargain is almost complete. I will teach you what I know. You will be bonded to the Source. You will channel it in great volume."

He motioned his hand to just beyond the stage.

"If you and your companions would stand just down there, we can begin."

I looked over at my companions for a moment before I nodded to Ryker. I walked down the steps and told the others to stand before the stage. Once we were in place, Ryker stood above us on the edge of the stage. He closed his eyes and spread his arms out. He started to recite a vivid incantation.

" _I call to the souls of the dead._

 _Your remains, the Stonegarden's eternal burden,_

 _Descend from the Hall!_

 _Surrender your Source to the vessels before me!"_

Suddenly, on the stage before us, three spirts appeared kneeling as if they were restrained. When I saw the spirts' faces, I saw they were all in pain. I could hear them scream as a green tether emerged from their ethereal bodies into Ryker's hands. But the screams didn't just come from the three souls on the stage. More screams came from above; from the graves in the cemetery. Ryker's voice grew even louder until his words echoed from every crevasse in the chamber.

' _Swann and Rince; Crossley and Locke._

 _Quincy, Keller, harkwood, Haran._

 _An essence yours no longer;_

 _Souls and Source, come forth!'_

The screams grew louder. I felt them pierce my skull, inflicting exhausting pain into my mind and the rest of my body. These people were suffering. Their existence was going to end because of me. I was going to be their end. In my heart, I felt the hot and cold grow and cycle between the two, as if urging me to stop this. I needed to stop Ryker. I felt the muscles of my leg pull to move it forward. But before I could move and inch, I stopped. My body was frozen. Paralyzed. From within my chest, I could feel a presence, another being. I felt a voice speak into my ear. It was the voice of Zorl-Stissa.

 _You will need this my Godwoken! You must not interfere!_

My eyes locked onto the tethered souls as my body stood unable to move. Their screams continued until they suddenly started to fade as piece-by-piece, the ethereal forms dissolved and were sucked into Ryker's hands. His eyes shot open and he directed his hands to the four of us.

"Cross the void so that these souls might awaken!"

The floor beneath us glowed green as the energy in Ryker's hands dissipated. The energy from the floor flowed into my feet and up my legs to the rest of my body. I gasped as I felt another part of my body opened like what happened when Saheila helped us yesterday. I felt my body could hold even more source. Like I could skate upon water or leap among the clouds. I was no longer less, but more.

But as quick as this invigorating sensation came into me, so was it replaced with something else. The screams that pieced my skull rung in my head. My cold blood froze as I looked down at my hands. The screams grew and surged out of my head into my body. Every muscle suddenly felt limp. Like the life in me suddenly vanished and was replaced with something: guilt.

All those souls, they were gone. What was left of them was absorbed into me. Like I had consumed them. I had taken all of what they were away. I had destroyed people so I could become more powerful. I felt…tainted.

I fell to my knees when my legs gave way. Ifan was there at my side with his hand on my shoulder. I looked over at him and like before, his eyes showed true empathy for me. It took me a whole minute to overcome the taint that embedded into me. I found enough strength to bring myself from the floor onto my feet.

"It is done," Ryker spoke when we brought our eyes to him. "I have brought something to nothing. Drink from the well of Source, my friends. I have been true to my word."

His words didn't bring me any comfort. But he did fulfill his part of the deal. We gave him the tablet and we became more powerful with the source.

"So, what happens now?" I asked him.

The necromancer looked side to side with a pondering gaze.

"Now that you mention it, there is one other promise I need to keep."

He brought his hand to his side and grasped something unseen on his hip.

"A shame it has t-"

I jumped into the air and unfurled my wings flying straight for Ryker. All the guilt and shame had instantly transformed into anger as my instincts kicked in. Before I landed on top of him on the stage, I unleashed my fiery breath onto him. I extended my feet down, hoping to kick his flailing body to the ground where the rest of his existence would fade away. But instead, I felt my foot land on his arm like a bird perching on a branch. With a great push, the arm launched me off him onto the floor to his left. I landed on the ground and rolled while my wings retracted. I hastily brought myself up to see Ryker still standing but half of his clothing and skin were burned away.

"As I was saying, a shame it has to end this way. I was just getting fond of you."

I made a quick glance at the others. They were all engaged with the masked servants. From behind me, one masked servant started to charge with an ax in his hand while the other came from behind Ryker at me with a crossbow. I had to do something fast.

I took my stance and cast my evasion spell on myself. When the ax servant came at me, my body jolted and twirled almost automatically, dodging every swing of the sword and a single arrow shot from the other servant. I managed to get behind the ax servant and unleashed the cold in my heart. The cold enveloped him, leaving him to fall to the ground with a few of his limbs falling off like breaking glass. I looked and saw Ryker took a stance no doubt preparing a massive necromancer spell. The servant by his side loaded and aimed his arrow at me. I brought my shield up just in time as the arrow bounced off it. When I looked back, I saw an arrow impact the side Ryker's chest, breaking his concentration. But it wasn't a normal arrow, it was a water arrow that soaked Ryker.

Seeing the water immediately informed me of what Ifan wanted me to do. I took my stance and unleashed an ice fan. All three shards of ice landed into Ryker, causing his body to freeze in place. The explosions of ice managed to cause his servant to flinch before he could fire his next arrow. Shortly after Ryker was frozen, Ifan fired a regular arrow at him. I impacted Ryker's frozen head. His head broke in half and the rest of his body fell over.

Before the masked servant regained his composure to fire his next arrow, he froze. Then with a lurch, his body contorted and violently turned inside out. From my left, I heard several similar sounds of bodies popping and blood coating the ground. I looked to see the rest of the masked servants had converted to piles of innards around the trio. Like when I slew Redeka, the rest of the body of the snake fell when the head was cut off. The others immediately ran up the stairs to me.

"You okay?" Ifan said.

"Yes," I said. But then I looked over at the remains of Ryker. The screams of the souls came back to me.

"Actually n-"

I suddenly shuttered. But I wasn't the only one to do so. Everyone else shuttered and hunched over slightly. When I refocused my senses, I felt the same sensation I felt during the ritual. It was Zorl-Stissa calling for me again. I inhaled and looked at the others who were regaining their own senses.

"It appears that our gods want to speak with us again," the Red Prince said.

Zorl-Stissa did say to me that I was to return to her once I had expanded my source. It looked like it was the appropriate time since we expanded our source twice already.

"We'll need more Blackroot if we want to do the ritual again," Ifan said. "Problem is the only place we know where we can find some is in Clousterwood and that's almost four hours away. Quite the sidetrack to the plan we have now."

"Most certainly," the Red Prince said. "I cannot afford any more delays."

"Well, it looks like we won't have to have that kind of delay."

Sebille had wandered off to the desk Ryker put the tablet on. She picked up a jar resting on it and showed it to us. A jar filled with Blackroot.

"Well, that's convenient," Ifan said. He looked over at me. "Still have the other components?"

I brought out my bag and pulled out the obsidian lance and bowl.

"Better get this done and over with," I said. The others nodded. Sebille handed me the jar and I got to work setting up the ritual again. Once the blood soaked Blackroot was in the bowl and placed on the floor, we all sat around it as I ignited it. Like before, we choked and gagged on the fumes before our minds faded from reality.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey everyone. I just got back from my family vacation so that's the reason for the delay. But don't worry because I'm back on track.

For this chapter, I decided to skip over the encounter with Aetera because I felt her conversation would lead to too much suspicion for the characters and give away future reveals. Plus, she's more important for Fane's storyline and since he's not in my story, it's best to cut out the fat when necessary.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

I opened my eyes to find myself once again before Zorl-stissa. She welcomed me with outstretched arms.

"My, my, how you positively brim with Source," she said. "No wonder, after all the adventures you have had; all the things you've had to do…"

When I recalled what I did so far, all I could think about was what happened only minutes ago.

"Why'd you stop me?" I asked her. "Those souls suffered and now they're gone! You forced me to let them die!"

Zorl-stissa's smile turned into a frown.

"If Rivellon is to be saved, there are sacrifices that must be made," she said. "Those souls' sacrifice will save the rest of the realm. You must realize this."

I prepared to fire back at her. But before I could, she shuttered so violently that she dropped to her knees. My anger disappeared as I kneeled to help her.

"It's okay, my child, I've no need of assistance," she said. But when I took a hold of her, I could tell from the weight of her arms around me, she'd have trouble getting up on her own. When I let her go, I saw that her body was getting worse.

"Please be honest," I said. "Are you really dying?"

Zorl-stissa winced in pain before inhaling deeply to regain her composure. She presented herself as the stoic goddess the statues and paintings portrayed her as.

"I refuse to entertain the possibility," she said with confidence. "Yes, the void is stronger than ever, but so are you!"

She looked down to my chest, as if seeing into it.

"I can sense the expanse of Source inside you. You are ready to learn the spell I've yearned to teach you: the spell you will need when we reach the Well of Ascension."

I raised my brows. I braced myself for what was going to happen next.

"I have given you the eyes to see the Source. Now I will give you the teeth to take it!"

She smiled at me. But when I looked closer, I noticed two cobralike fangs glistening beneath her upper lip. Moments later, I felt another gulf of magic enveloping me. When it finished, I felt something unnatural. Before, I felt my body could hold more Source than I ever could. But now, I felt a need to fill that empty space in my body. It was a hunger. A hunger for source. I looked at Zorl-Stissa again. She stood presenting herself like a concubine offering herself to a patron.

"Go on. I am here for you. Give in to your hunger!"

In my mind, I saw what she wanted me to do. I recalled the moment I used the purging wand on the shriekers at Fort Joy. I now could do just that with my bare hands. I raised my hand ready to do to her what I did to the shriekers. But my body shuttered. My arm shook. I forced my hand down and gasped.

"This…this doesn't feel right!" My body shook, trying to resist the sensation. "This hunger… it's… unnatural!"

"It is supernatural!" Zorl-Stissa said. "It is the ultimate lust for power. The true lust of a god!"

She now shouted at me.

"Go on. Devour me!"

The hunger in me surged, taking control of me. I brought my hand up and the same green beam that came from the purging wand shot out and pierced into the goddess's body. Shortly after, my arm pulled behind me and the beam was pulled out of Zorl-stissa's body. The beam returned to my hand. I gasped and kneeled from the sudden influx of something. I had pulled a wad of source from Zorl-Stissa. But even with the surge of source, there was still a large gap in me that needed to be filled. I looked at Zorl-Stissa again. She looked grimly happy; if a bit haggard.

"You cast the spell with brash ferocity, like I knew you would, my champion."

I stared at her with disbelief. When I stopped and focused on my body again, the hunger came back to me. Only this time, it felt… stronger. My body felt twisted.

"What did you do to me?" I asked her accusingly. "I…I feel like I want more."

"Of course!" the goddess said. "Do you still not see? Do you still not realize there will never be abatement. Let me tell you the one truth about what it means to be a god: it is to be the lion in a world of lambs. It is about power, and power is not given. It is taken. With your all-seeing eyes and your all-consuming teeth. You can see the souls of the dead. And now you can feed from them to your hungry heart's content. So feed, for you will starve until you finally feast upon the Well of Ascension."

I looked down at my shaking hands. The screams of the souls Ryker destroyed rung in my head. This was what it meant to be a god? My lips twitched and my body shuttered. I fell to my knees and hung my head.

"This…this is wrong," I said. "I-I'm not a m-monster. T-this is not a force of creation. It is a f-force of d-destruction."

"By all means, fast if you must," the goddess spoke even though I couldn't bring myself to look up at her. "But sheer hunger will soon trump your all too delicate feelings. Your soul must grow bigger still; your inner self become a vaster expanse so that it may house divinity. There are more Masters of the Source, more aspects of the Source to learn."

I felt the pull back to the real world on me again.

"The hunt continues… just you hurry!"

* * *

I saw a blurry outline in front of me. I blinked causing the tear to be expelled from my eye. My vision cleared for me to notice Ifan was looking down at me. I felt the senses of my body return. My body shook erratically, and my chest hyperventilated.

"It's alright. I got you," Ifan spoke gently. It was then I felt that he held me in his arms in a comforting embrace. The warmth of his arms around my shoulders and head allowed me to calm myself. I took deep breath after deep breath until my breathing returned to normal.

"That's it, you're okay," he said with a warm grin on his face.

The shaking slowed down and the panic subsided. I kept my eyes on Ifan while the rest of my mind caught up with me. But when it did, the memories came back. I remembered my encounter with Zorl-stissa. How she instilled a hunger for Source in me as well as giving me the power of a living purging wand. But what I remembered the most was something that felt like a dream between then and now.

In this dream, I stood in an open field. All around me, the bodies of lizards, humans, dwarves and elves lay dead. I closed my eyes. I spoke the words and opened my eyes. Standing over each body was the spirit that once inhabited them. One by one, the spirits looked to me. With their ethereal eyes on me, my mouth curled into a rather sinister grin. I raised my hand high into the air. A green light emanated from it. From every direction, the spirits started to scream as they tried to run away. But they could go nowhere. They were helpless. They screamed as their ghostly bodies were slowly torn apart and pulled into my hand. All I did was smile.

As I lay in Ifan's arms, my mouth twitched, and my breathing stuttered. The screams echoed in my head. I squeezed my eyes shut and nestled my head under his chin, pulling myself as hard as I could into him.

"I'm not a monster. I'm not a monster, I'm not a monster, I'm not a monster, I'm not-"

I mumbled the words over and over until the words morphed into sobs. Ifan kept his arms around me, holding me close to him.

"It's okay," Ifan said. "Take all the time you need."

He gently swayed back and forth. The warmth of his body seeped into my own. The sobs ran their course and slowly faded away. I took in my deep breaths and calmed myself. I relaxed my body back down into Ifan's lap.

"Feeling better?" he asked. I closed my eyes and evaluated myself.

"As better as I'll ever be," I said. Ifan grinned.

"That's good to hear," he said. "Feel like you get back on your feet?"

I took a deep breath, regaining control of my body. I pulled my muscles together bringing my body up. I put my feet on the ground and brought myself up. The Red Prince and Sebille were standing before me.

"What happened to me?" I asked.

"We thought you took in too much of the fumes," the Red Prince said.

"When we all came out of it, you were twitching on the floor like you were having a seizure," Sebille said. So that's what my body was doing when I had that accursed dream.

Sebille tilted her head and glanced over at Ifan.

"Luckily, you had a close friend to look after you," she said.

Her mannerism caused both Ifan and I to look at each other awkwardly. I looked away when I felt a rush of blood come to my face. I took a breath to regain my composure. I looked back at Sebille.

"I…I was unprepared for that last encounter," I said.

"Yes, we could defiantly tell," the Red Prince commented.

"Does she expect me to consume the souls of the dead?" I asked no one in particular.

"Well I'm not going to," Ifan said. We looked over to him. "I mean, it might feel uncomfortable not being full of source all the time, but we won't die if we don't constantly ingest source."

I took a moment to feel the gap in my body with all the source in me drained. It did feel very unpleasant having this hole in my soul. But I felt like I could just ignore it, at least for now.

"But if we don't consume source, we might be impaired in the more difficult battles that'll come," the Red Prince interjected. Both Ifan and I were about to fire back at him, but Sebille stepped in.

"Here's an idea," she said. "If you desperately need Source, there's plenty of Voidwoken to consume out there. Not to mention the Order has plenty of their soulless puppets walking around. No souls of people have to be destroyed, even if some of them have it coming."

I had a feeling she would have consumed Roost's soul if we had this spell at the time.

"I'm more than okay with that," Ifan said. He looked over at me. I remembered using the purging wand on the shriekers. They were soulless beings that needed to be destroyed. The silent monks were no different either.

"Yes. That'll work for me," I said. A much better alternative than what Zorl-Stissa told me.

We all looked at the Red Prince. He flinched as if he was being verbally accused of something.

"Oh, very well," he sighed. Would he actually consider consuming every spirit we came across, innocent or otherwise? "I think it's petty to think about the small souls who refuse to pass to the Hall of Echoes when our task is greater than their individual existences. But don't worry, I will abide."

That was enough reassurance we were going to get out of him. With our debate over, we turned our attention to Ryker's remains.

"Wonder what his deal was for him to try to kill us?" Sebille asked.

"I'll ask him myself," I said. I closed my eyes and opened them with my vision. Floating over the fractured corpse was a spirit with the same features as the body when it wasn't frozen. It sneered at me.

"Don't look so pleased with yourself," Ryker's spirit said. "You're too quick to act, too green still. Your bond with the Source may be strengthened, but you are hardly prepared for Divinity."

I cross my arms.

"Maybe," I say. "But before we leave, I have a question. Who are you sworn to?"

Ryker only contorted his face further. Looks like I was going to have to play rough. Thankfully, Brell had a visitor from the House of Dreams when I stayed with him. She taught me a charm that would be useful now. I put my hand through Ryker's ethereal chest and closed my eyes. I recited the charm. Almost immediately, I felt my scales tremble and my tongue go numb. The memories flowed into me.

I saw vivid images of Ryker's life as the caretaker of the cemetery. I saw him, old and haggard. He walked to an innocent spirit and reached out his wrenched hand. In an instant the spirit is gone. The wrinkled hand disappeared under a new layer of fresh skin.

I did my best to let the feeling pass. As soon as I did, a new memory came into view. One where Ryker was sitting at his desk looking at a parchment. At the bottom were the words "Black Ring". I pulled my hand away as my mind returned to reality. I gasped and looked at the spirit again. I regained my composure.

"As I suspected, the Black Ring," I said.

Ryker looked at me with a somewhat defeated look.

"There is but one promise I have ever regretted making, one deal I have ever sought to break. That tablet, the template to the Swornbreaker, it was the key to my freedom. Alas, I remain sworn."

"Well, you were going to kill us, so I had to act," I said. "I'm sorry it had to be this way."

Ryker snorted and looked away. He stared up at the ceiling, looking at nothing but the beyond he can never go to. It was all he was going to be able to do now. A small part of me wanted to use my new power to consume him so he'd be spared of this fate. But I'd made a vow to not consume the spirits of people, only voidwoken and meat puppets. I turned away from Ryker to the others.

"I had a feeling it was the Black Ring," Ifan said.

"Me too," I said. My eyes wandered to the desk with the tablet on it. Sebille took notice.

"You think we should hold on to that tablet?" she asked.

"Call it a gut feeling," I said.

"Oooooo," she said a smile. "A scholar who uses her head and her gut. That's rather interesting."

I chuckled. I walked over to the desk and scooped up the tablet and put it into my bag.

"Alright then, looks like we're done here," Ifan said.

Just then, I heard my stomach rumble.

"Perhaps it'd be a good idea to fill our bellies for our trip north," I said.

"I agree," the Red Prince said. "I will need my strength for what comes for me at the end."

"I believe we should take a few minutes and have our lunch in Ryker's luxurious dining room upstairs. I'm sure he's well stocked," Ifan said.

I looked to the piles of gore that once were his masked servants. If all the other servants were dead, I'd defiantly look forward to having a comfortable meal to relieve the stress of the events that happened so far today.

"Let's eat," I said. Everyone nodded.

We exited the chamber, leaving the unpleasant gore and smell behind us. When we emerged into the study, we saw two piles of gore stain the carpet and bookcases. When we exited into the living room, we saw three more stained spots around us. We truly destroyed the rest of the masked servants when we took care of Ryker. To our right, the dinner table was already set with an assortment of food ready for us to eat. To the side, the kitchen stood with an oven ready to cook. We walked towards the table. But I stopped when a familiar face crawled across the floor towards me.

"You go ahead," I said. "I'll join you shortly."

They nodded leaving me to kneel new friend's level. He hobbled over to me with much spring in his step.

"The servants are gone," Xiuh said. "That must mean the elf is slain."

"Indeed," I said. Xiuh reared his head back and snapped his maw, an expression I took as joy.

"Oh, Xiuh has waited for this day. Master Zara has been avenged. Xiuh is eternally thankful."

I reached out and pet Xiuh on the head.

"What will you do now that Ryker is dead?" I asked him. Xiuh glanced at the window before he answered.

"This land is not welcome to Xiuh," he said. "If it will not be a burden, Xiuh wishes to have a new master."

I raised my brows. This was a rather big ask.

"We're rather busy at the moment," I said. I looked over at the others while thinking to myself. "But I think I could take you with me after we finish something we have to do."

Xiuh hopped back onto his hind legs for a moment, expressing his excitement.

"Oh, Xiuh cannot truly express his gratitude," he said. I couldn't help but smile.

"Okay, as soon as we leave, I want you to follow the road along the coast until you see a ship anchored by the cove. Stay on the shore until I get back later tonight. I'll bring you aboard then."

"Xiuh understands. Thank you, kin. It is a great day for Xiuh. A great day indeed!"

I smiled and pat Xiuh on the head one last time before he returned to laying by the fireplace. I turned around and saw Ifan was serving plates of food to everyone. I took my place and we all dug into our meals. I felt the meat, fruit, bread and even slices of pie fill my belly and replenish my strength. Once we were finished, we cleaned ourselves up and head out the door. When we looked over the graveyard, we saw the spots of gore where the servants once stood. All except for one. The Lizard caretaker still tended to the gravestones. I could hear her still singing her tune.

"Should I try to tell her she's free?" I asked the others.

"No," the Red Prince said. "She's lost her mind. It's not worth it."

The others nodded. I nodded too. I looked behind me to find Xiuh following me.

"I'll meet you at the front gate," I said to the others. They walked north while I lead Xiuh to the south gate. I opened it and motioned Xiuh through.

"Just follow the road and turn left towards the ship when you see it," I reminded the salamander.

"Thank you, master," Xiuh bowed his head.

He turned around and walked down the road. With my new pet on his way, I jogged through the cemetery to the north gate where the others were waiting. When I arrived, we opened the gate and started walking up the path towards Paradise Downs.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** What I planned for this chapter turned out to be longer than I anticipated. Thus, I've decided to split it into two chapters like I did with chapters 14 and 15. The next chapter will be up shortly.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

After over half an hour of walking north, I remembered something.

"We're coming up on Gareth's family cottage. We should stop by and say hello," I said.

The Red Prince was about to say something, but I interjected.

"Don't worry, we'll only say hello and be on our way. It'll only take five minutes at the most."

"Fine," the Red Prince said. "I'll count the minutes. When time is up, I'm heading out."

"Fair enough," I said.

Five minutes later, we were closing in on Gareth's family's house. But instead of a warm welcome with good folks, what awaited us was the same thing we encountered this morning.

"Oh no…"

The door to the cottage was ajar and the front yard was littered with four bodies. We ran to the scene and noticed the bodies were draped in crimson and white. When we looked closer, they had the familiar black hue around the eyes and mouths. When we investigated the cottage, we saw a mess that was akin to the mess of Meister Siva's home. But a difference was the two pools of blood on the floor. When we turned around, we saw where the bodies that once contained the blood ended up. Two makeshift graves lay at the edge of the yard. It was then I noticed a paper hung on the inside of the door.

 _KILL THEM ALL!_

I brought my palm to my face and sighed. But the scary thing was instead of weeping over this tragedy, I only felt down. Just this morning, I wept over the death of Paulie's mother. Not just an hour ago, I was cradled on the floor crying over the destruction of souls for my personal gain. But now, it seemed I didn't feel as affected over the death of our ally's family. Was I getting used to the constant death of innocent people happening around me already?

"Looks like Gareth had his vengeance already," Ifan said standing over the bodies of the silent monks.

"Nothing else to do except to restore our Source," the Red Prince holding his hand over one of the corpses.

"Might as well," I said. Each of us stood before the four corpses. We raised our hands over them and spoke the words. A green beam emerged tearing into the bodies. We pulled our hands away. The flesh from the bodies vanished leaving four mangled piles of bonds on the ground. I felt a surge of source fill me. With the extra space given to us by Saheila and Ryker, I felt like I could do this at least three more times before my body would be at capacity with source. With our feeding finished, I looked up to the others.

"Shall we move along?" I asked.

"Most defiantly," the Red Prince said. We left the dreaded scene and continued down the road. While we did this, all I could think about was the cruelty of the Order and looking back on myself before all of this. It surprised me how easy it was for me to kill people when not just a week ago, I had never killed anyone. I kept thinking to myself for another fifteen minutes until I noticed everyone stopped at the top of a hill staring into the distance.

 _Oh-no…_

That could only mean there was something bad on the horizon. I took a deep breath and walked up next to them. But even with my expectations set so low, it was even worse than that.

"Good gods…"

Instead of the entirety of Paradise Downs set ablaze like the Blackpits, it was the land itself that was destroyed. It was as if an earthquake tore apart the land into scattered chunks to become almost unrecognizable. On top of that, we could see a dark cloud hovering over it raining down scattered balls of fire into the fractured landscape. What was once a rolling farmland with fields of wheat and glorious crops that could feed thousands, was now something you would see in a painting named simply "Apocalypse."

I looked over at Ifan.

"Is there another way around?" I asked him. He tore his eyes away from the scene.

"The only other way north would be to backtrack to the Cullwoods and head north from there," he said.

"And how long would that take?" the Red Prince asked.

"At least four hours," Ifan said.

The Red Prince grunted in frustration.

"That's too long," he said clenching his fist.

"What other choice do we have?" Sebille asked. "Even I think this is way too dangerous to cross."

The Red Prince shifted his eyes between us and the painting of the apocalypse. I could tell he was very torn about his own wellbeing. But something else was behind his confliction. He composed himself.

"I have faith that we can brave this together," he replied.

We all raised our eyebrows.

"That's really unlike you," Sebille said. "Just how important is it that you get where you need to get to in time?"

He looked at the revenged land before he closed his eyes and sighed.

"It's really, really important," he replied. "It's what I've been dreaming of ever since my birth. I cannot let this opportunity elude me. I'm willing to brave this apocalypse to accomplish this."

We stood staring at him in silence. I looked out to the horrific scene. But before I could look at the Red Prince again, I felt a surge in my chest. I could tell it was Zorl-stissa calling out to me. But instead of wanting to speak to me again, I could feel something. It was like words were spoken to me, but I could not hear anything in my ears. The words passed through me and I understood.

"There's a source master in the middle of that," I said. The others turned to face me with their brows shot up.

"How do you know?" Sebille asked me.

"Zorl-stissa told me," I placed my hand on my chest. "I'm just as terrified as the rest of you, but I believe that it'll be worth it if we pass through there. We'll find the Source Master, learn what we need to learn, and we'll continue north. Are you in?"

I couldn't believe the words that came out of my mouth. Inside, I felt terrified. The place we were about to head into had death written all over it. Was I insane? Sebille and Ifan looked at each other with very conflicting looks. Eventually, both Ifan and Sebille looked over at me.

"You sidetracked us before and it turned out for the best," Sebille pointed at my amulet. "Even though it feels like suicide, I'll trust you with this."

I looked over at Ifan.

"We've survived fighting monsters and witches. This is a major step up from anything we've encountered before. But I have faith we can overcome something like this. I'm in."

I smiled then sighed looking back at the revenged land we were about to brave.

"Alright," I said. "Best of luck to us."

Everyone nodded. We went down the road and made our way to the broken landscape.

The road ended when the crooked earth broke the road apart. I took the first step over the crack onto the destroyed earth. We had to tread carefully now. We continued across the fractured landscape, climbing over the shifted grounds. The scattered meteors landed far from us. We had to be vigilant in case the random balls of fire decided to come on top of us. We continued to navigate the broken lands until we came to a tall cliff.

"No way we'll be able to climb up that," Sebille said.

"Maybe not climb…" I said unfurling my wings. Sebille looked over at me.

"Do you trust me?" I asked her.

"I'm not a fan of flying," Sebille looked up the cliff then at me again. "But I'll do my best to overcome that petty fear for now."

I grinned in response. I walked over and took a hold of her. With a huge jump, we launched into the air. I beat my wings again and again until we reached the top and landed softly onto the ground. I let her go and she stepped away. I gave her a smile before I dropped down to the others. I did the same with Ifan then the Red Prince, him being the heaviest. It took more effort, but I managed to get the both of us to the top. I panted as I contracted my wings back into my body. After I got my breath back, we continued our trek further north.

As we continued, the land became worse. Cliffs grew taller, chasms fell deeper, and gaps grew larger. All the while, houses were torn in half, sunk into the ground and sometimes even both. But the worst part came when I suddenly felt something in the air. It wasn't a smell that came over me, rather it was a feeling. A feeling that washed over every scale of my body. It felt like my entire outer shell was going to fall off at any moment. When I looked at the others, they expressed the same mannerisms as I did.

"What…," Ifan said feeling himself over. "What is this?"

I racked my brain thinking about the symptoms we were experiencing. Where have I read about this before?

"I think it's… a decaying aura," I said. Sebille looked over at me.

"Please, do tell us what this aura does. I'd like to know if we're going to die in the next five minutes."

I racked my brain from my medical classes.

"I've never experienced this personally. But I've read decaying bodies are more fragile. Furthermore, healing a decaying body would do as much harm instead of good."

"Great," Sebille said. "I hope you can remember if I get another gash across the hip, you shouldn't be my hero."

"Don't worry, I'll remember that," I said.

"Actually," Ifan said. "I think you can."

"How?" I asked.

"Since we have some Source in us, we can bless each other so we can heal each other if we do get hurt."

That was a really good idea.

"We don't have a lot of Source in us, so we should do it sparingly," I said.

"Save your source, especially for me, your frontline soldier," the Red Prince said. He did have a point because he was the one to go headfirst into the fire and needed all the protection he could get.

"Don't worry, I've got your back," I said.

With that, we continued across the landscape. After nearly twenty minutes traversing the hostile landscape, standing clear of falling balls of fire, maintaining our balance from sudden tremors and flying everyone over gaps and cliffs, we came to a rather intact cottage. I felt a surge in my chest.

"The Source master should be here," I said. "I'll go first."

I crept up to the cottage. The door had fallen off the hinges leaving the doorway wide open. I tucked my head and stepped through.

"Hel-"

Before I could finish, I felt the cold of a blade held against my neck.

"A guest," I heard a voice that felt like a breathy purr. "How brazen of you to enter without knocking."

Though I couldn't see who held the knife to my throat, I replied to her.

"My apologies, there was no door to knock on."

"Fair point," the voice said. "Step inside."

I walked further into the room. Once I stopped, the blade retreated from my neck, allowing me to gasp and rub my throat. I looked down to see a human woman in scantily clad cloths, similar to the attire of Redeka. And much like Redeka, she was rather beautiful and wore a smile that was somewhere between impish and cruel. Before I could say anything, Ifan was at my side pointing his finger at the woman.

"You're one of the Black Ring," he said. In response, the woman held her dagger up to her bosom in a defensive but not threatening manner.

"My name is Almira," she said. "And yes, I was a part of the Black Ring. But not anymore. At least that's what I want."

Ifan kept his finger trained on her until I put my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me and I shook my head. He deflated his stance and put his hand down. Almira put her knife away.

"Might I ask who you four are?" she asked. "You don't seem to be part of the Divine Order. You absolutely reek of source."

If she could sense our source, she had to be the one we were looking for.

"I am Mahalia. These are Ifan, Sebille and the Red Prince."

"And what exactly are you doing here in this middle of this death-filled valley?"

I looked over at the Red Prince for a second.

"We needed to pass through for something important to the north. Along the way, we sensed that there may be a master of source around here. Are you that person?"

She looked down at her hand, turning it over and running her thumb over the tips of her fingers.

"I do have a connection to the Source," she said. "However, under the circumstances, I believe it'd be best if we make an exchange."

She motioned her hand to a bed in the corner of the room. In it lay a Magister curled up with a nasty wound on his hip.

"This is Mihaly," she said. "We absconded together. I from the Black Ring, and he from the Magisters. We fell for each other while I was his prisoner."

Her gaze trailed off looking into a corner of the room. She smiled like she was reminiscing about a moment they had together. She then brought her attention back to us.

"Mihaly put himself at great risk to free me from Magister captivity. We made it clear, but he picked up quite a nasty wound. We found refuge in this charming hamlet. But then… well I'm sure you saw for yourself."

A quick glance outside told us everything.

"Now the aura of decay is preventing his wound from healing. We can't go anywhere until he's been healed, or this aura is lifted. If you help us, I'll help you."

It was a rather interesting predicament. The first thing I thought about was how these two were deserters of two sinister groups: him the Order and her the Black Ring. Two sworn enemies. But when I thought of Ifan's time in the Order, it did make some sense. The second thought related to our talk when the aura of decay came over us. I felt the fresh source within me swirl. It wasn't a lot, but I felt it was enough to lift the decay off Mihaly.

"Well for starters, I know a way to circumvent the decay and heal him."

Her eyes spoke volumes.

"By all means do so," she stood aside.

I walked over to the wounded Magister. He lay on his side uncomfortably clenching his wound. I channeled the little source I had in my body. My hands radiated with the blessing glow. The glow enveloped Mihaly's body causing him to unfurl and relax. With the aura of decay lifted for the moment, I channeled the cold from my heart and spoke my healing spell. The wound closed and Mihaly gasped in relief. I stood up just as the blessing wore off. While the decay came back over him, he was no longer in pain. He put his feet over the side of the bed and looked up.

"Almira," he said with his eyes wide open.

"Mihaly," she said in response. She closed the distance and embraced her lover.

"Thank you," she said to me. "Now we need your help to get out of this place."

"Wait, I thought you said the deal was he was to be healed," the Red Prince interjected.

"To be healed and get out of this place," she said standing up. "If you want my help, you need to help us escape or find the source of this destruction and kill it. If you choose the latter, we'll make it on our own."

"Hmm," I brought my fingers to my chin and pondered out loud. "We could either go back the way we came to get these two to safety thus wasting precious time. Or we could deal with the source of all this destruction, so we won't have to waste anymore more time and make our trek north easier."

I looked over to Ifan who looked at Sebille who looked at the Red Prince.

"What do you think, your majesty?" she said with a curtsy.

The Red Prince brought his hand to his chin and pondered. I could see the confliction of his situation. He was the one who suggested we brave through this after all. Just how important was this personal quest of his?

"Though I think it is a terrible idea, under the circumstances, I believe it is best we find the source of this destruction and deal with it," he said.

"A bold choice," Ifan commented. "Perhaps being in the field of battle has done you some good."

"Maybe," the Red Prince fired back. "But I still yearn for the comfort of my palace once this adventure is finished."

"We'll be back once we've dealt with the cause of all this," I told Almira.

"We'll be waiting for you," she said. She sat down next to Mihaly on the bed. They brought their arms around one another to keep each other company.

Once we were outside, we looked around the torn landscape to figure out where to go to find the source of this destruction. Ifan pointed toward a formation of rocks. Behind it, we could see the tip top of the ruins of a castle. Along with it, we could see small strands of dark energy swirling between the rocks and castle.

"Better tread carefully to see what we're up against," he said. I nodded. He led the way across the chunk of land we were on until I needed to fly us over a gap. Once across, Ifan motioned us to wait. He climbed up the rocks to see what was over at the ruins of the castle we saw. He peeked over the edge then slowly climbed down the rocks back to us.

"What are we up against?" I asked.

"A dozen voidwoken?" the Red Prince asked.

"Not quite," he said. "There's a large monster sitting there. It's like a dragon mixed with a chicken."

I grimaced at the image of such a thing.

"But it's also accompanied by reanimated skeletons of Magisters."

Ifan took some small rocks and arranged them on the ground before us. The big one being the monster and the small ones the Magister minions.

"I figure Mahalia and I climb up and take the monster from the high ground."

He pointed to the top of a larger rock representing the formation behind him.

"Meanwhile you two deal with the four undead Magisters."

"Taking on the minions head on while not being able to receive sufficient healing if I get hurt," the Red Prince sighed. "Oh, the things I will do to regain my throne."

 _Well at least he has a passion to get done what needs to get done._

"I'll have Afrit join you," Ifan said. "Move in once we make the first strike. You ready?"

Sebille looked at each of us before she nodded. The Red Prince nodded then I did too. Ifan grinned. He stood up and summoned Afrit who stood by Sebille's side. With all the players ready, we dispersed. I climbed up the rock wall with Ifan, electing to not use my wings to draw any attention. Once we reached the top, we crawled on our bellies to the edge to see the monster for myself. It was indeed a dragon-like creature if it were fused with a chicken. Its body was nearly all skin and bone with stubby feathers on its head and skimpy wings. In front of it, four undead skeletons clad in Magister armor wandered around aimlessly. I turned my head to Ifan.

"Get a shock arrow ready, I know how to open the attack," I said.

Ifan nodded. He pulled an arrow with a violet arrowhead from his quiver and loaded his crossbow. I turned my head to see Sebille, the Red Prince and Afrit hiding behind a boulder. They were ready. I looked over at Ifan and nodded. I stood up and got to work casting the opening spell. I spoke the words and motioned my hands above me. From above, clouds emerged sending drops of rain onto the abominations soaking them. The monster took notice of me and reared its ugly hear. Before it could do anything, Ifan moved up from the ground and took his stance on his knee. He took aim and fired. The arrow soared through the air and hit the creature square in the head. The electricity surged through the arrow and coursed through the creature's body, unable to move.

Meanwhile, the puddle of water had soaked the undead, causing them to spasm when the electricity jumped to them. The three fighters then emerged and charged at the minions. Meanwhile, the monster managed to break out of its shock and prepared something horrible for the two of us.

"Take cover!" I shouted to Ifan as I unfurled my wings. I leapt into the air and flapped my wings just as a wad of poison collided into where I was. I landed on one of the intact towers of the fort. I spun around and immediately unleashed a hail of ice right on top of the beast. All shards hit the monster. But instead of freezing him entirely, it only slowed him down. Thankfully, that slowdown was all I needed to fly away from another attack. The tower I escaped erupted into flames as I landed into the adjacent tower. I made a glance over at the others. They seemed to hold their own. But when I saw the Red Prince take the head off one of the skeletons, I noticed he clenched his side. He must have been injured.

I turned my attention back at the monster who spread his frail wings. Despite the wings looking like they couldn't do anything in the shape they were in, they miraculously managed to lift the abomination off the ground. It lifted itself up to my level and was about to come careening into me. But a splash of water that came over it caused it to turn around. Ifan had managed to survive and shoot a water arrow at it. Now with it soaked, I thought quickly. I pulled my hand back and spoke the words. My lightning strike impacted the monster, causing it to flail and lose control. It impacted the ground with an earthshaking thud.

It was vulnerable. But how were we going to kill it for good? A feeling in my heart and thinking back to how we defeated Ryker gave me an idea.

"READY EXPLOSIVE ARROW!" I shouted to Ifan.

I leapt off the tower and floated to the bottom. I ran to the downed creature's head. Before it could recover, I inhaled all the air my lungs could hold and unleashed my cold breath. I blew everything I had right into the head of the monster. Layers and layers of ice encased the monster, seeping into the flesh and bone. When I blew out the last of my ice breath, I turned around and ran.

"FIRE!" I shouted.

Two seconds later, I heard an explosion from behind me. I turned around to see the result of Ifan's arrow. The monster was still alive, but its cranium was blown away, leaving pieces of its brain to hang out. It flailed around and roared in pain. Eventually the mortally wounded monster fell to the ground lifeless. After a few seconds, I suddenly felt a feeling wash out of me. The aura of decay had been lifted. I could safely heal our wounded now.

I turned my attention back to the others. Unfortunately, the skeletons didn't all die instantly when the monster was slain. Two of them were still standing and all three of our allies were on the ground clutching their wounds. Thinking quickly, I took my stance and unleashed a dizzying bolt from the sky onto the two skeletons well clear of the wounded. The undead jolted and their boney remains fell apart. With our enemies defeated, I ran to the Red Prince first who seemed to be the most hurt. He had gashes over his hip, arm and leg. Meanwhile Sebille received a single cut on her thigh. I closed my eyes and held out my hand over the Red Prince. I spoke the words and the cold channeled through me. With the aura of decay gone, his wounds disappeared leaving only his red scales that brightly contrasted with his darker blood. He gasped and sat up.

I turned my attention to Afrit and Sebille. Ifan had already descended from the rocks arriving to their side. Afrit dissolved and returned to Ifan's chest while Ifan pulled out a healing potion from his bag and gave it to Sebille. She popped the cork and ingested the liquid. After the bottle was empty, she looked down at her wound to see it slowly seal itself up. Wasn't as quick as my enhanced healing spell, but it did its job after a few seconds of waiting.

With our party healed, the Red Prince and Sebille stood up.

"Those undead were much harder to deal with than I anticipated," the Red Prince said. "But at least you two did your job with the monster."

"And thanks for dealing with the rest," Sebille said.

"We're a team," I said. "We look out for each other."

Sebille grinned. We looked around the battlefield. While the land was still broken, the chaos had stopped. There were no more tremors shaking the ground. No fireballs falling from black clouds in the sky. And most importantly the aura of decay was gone.

I looked over at the beast Ifan and I slew. It was unlike any voidwoken we'd seen before. Seeing it only made me imagine the horrors that were yet to come.

"Best to fill more of our source with this," the Red Prince said. "I reckon it has enough source for all of us."

"One way to find out," Sebille said. We walked over to the carcass of the monster. We each held up our hands and spoke the spell. Moments later, the body vanished. I inhaled as the Source flowed into me. I held more Source than I ever had before.

"Let's head back," I said. The rest agreed.

* * *

"The air is certainly better now," Almira said when we returned.

"The monster is dead," I said. "You should have no trouble getting out of Paradise Downs now that the 'weather' has cleared up."

She stood from the bed.

"I owe you a debt and I intend to pay in full."

She crept closer to me. The sway in her step suggested something. She stopped merely inches away from me looking straight into my eyes.

"Tell me. Do you know exactly _what_ I am?"

I moved my eyes around observing her face then her scantily clad attire. She seemed to be a normal human being. But when I looked closer, I could see traces of energy radiating under her skin. That energy was seeping into me, bringing feelings out of me the same way incense did. When I recalled my studies, it made sense.

"You're a succubus," I said.

"Excellent eye, my dear," she said with her seductive grin. "I am indeed a succubus. Love is my power; it enthralls those who lie with me and feeds me yet more power. My Source abilities are linked to this aspect of me… and it is through this aspect that I must reward you…"

It was then I realized she was caressing my arm. Her eyes were oceans of violet. Anyone who looked into them could drown in them. I closed my eyes and took a step back.

"Sorry," I said. "The last time I interacted with a seductive woman, I was given a kiss that resulted in hundreds of bugs crawling into my mouth. I had to use my fire breath to clean it out and kill the witch."

Almira's brow shot up.

"You've had an encounter with Redeka?"

I looked up in surprise.

"You know of her?"

"She and I were partners in the Black Ring for some time until we parted ways. But now that she's dead, it doesn't matter."

She took my hand.

"But I promise you, there won't be any bugs this time. Nor will I use my powers to make you my thrall. Just as I hope you won't use what I show you to become some sort of tyrant."

This was jarring for me. I never kissed anyone besides my parents in all my time growing up in the Empire. I never even met Brell's lips after he proposed to me. My first actual kiss was with a vile witch who tried to have my insides be eaten from the inside out by insects. Now, I was asked by a succubus to kiss her to expand my source.

"But what about the rest of us?" the Red Prince asked. "Do you plan to have a kiss for all four of us?"

"You won't have to wait in line," Almira said. "Just put your hands onto her back and your knowledge of source will expand when I'm finished."

The Red Prince looked at the others. Eventually they nodded. Almira looked up at me again. She stroked my cheek.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

I felt very, very nervous. I've read tales of people who lost their minds to succubus. But something in her seductive eyes told me she was genuine. The way she embraced her Magister partner was one of actual affection, not just lusting over one's form. I took a deep breath, taking in a whiff of her aura.

"Let's do it," I said.

I felt three sets of hands touch my back. Almira grinned devilishly and brought her other hand to my cheek holding my head in place.

"Let's see what you're made of."

She kissed me. She devoured me. Instead of insects seeping into my mouth, it was an aroma that flowed to the top of my head and down the length of my body. I was completely enraptured. Every corner of my body was filled with pure bliss. I felt the heat of her soul surging through me. Thrust upon thrust. Echoes of moans. Gasps of ecstasy. Nothing in me could resist this feeling. My body gave in to the most primal desires. The pure lustful energy surged in and out of me. Harder and harder until I felt my entire body convulse. I had reached the peak of a mountain, holding my arms to the stars above. I felt my soul leap from the top and float down to the earth below.

I gasped. I opened my eyes and felt my body's senses return to me. My heart was pounding in my chest. I felt like I had run a hundred miles without stopping. I was on my knees with my hands over my chest, my lungs desperately trying to bring in much needed air.

"A lesson worth learning was it not?"

I looked up to see Almira standing over me with her impish grin.

"Take your time to catch your breath."

She walked over to the bed and sat beside her lover again.

I continued to sit on the floor, panting. I looked behind me to see the others were the same way. The Red Prince, the one who slept with these creatures before, was on all fours trying to catch his breath. When I looked over at Ifan, he held his hands on his knees. When I tried moving my gaze away to Sebille, I couldn't. I couldn't break my eyes from Ifan. I watched as drops of sweat ran down his check, disappearing into his beard. I felt something. Something deep within me. At first, I thought it was empathy. The same he gave to me time and time again when I was upset. But it was more than that. I wanted-

"Are you okay?"

I gasped. I shook my head, as if snapped out of a trance. I looked up to see Sebille standing over me. I shuttered and scurried to my feet.

"I-I…" I backed up against a dresser on the other side of the room. I breathed faster. Not from exhaustion, but from nervousness. "I…I'm fine. I'm more than fine. I'm great."

Sebille looked at me with her brow raised and head tilted. She made a glance over at Ifan who got onto his feet along with the Red Prince. Sebille looked back at me with the same grin she had the night before. Before she could say anything, I turned my attention to Almira.

"Thank you, Almira," I said. "For what you did for us."

When I felt what she gave us, I could feel once again my body opening to allow more space for more Source. The fresh source we pulled from the monster no longer filled me to the brim. There was another gap that needed to be filled.

"It's the least I could do," she said. She looked out the window. Her grin turned into a frown. She looked back at me.

"However, I actually have another little request."

I raised my brow. I brought myself off the dresser.

"And what is that?" I asked.

Almira stood up from the bed and walked over to me, standing a more polite distance this time.

"You have helped me to escape immediate danger, but I remain a fugitive from my old life, and the promises I made to it."

I tilted my head.

"The Black Ring swear allegiance to a powerful being, the God King. This is not a mere oath of duty. This is the Covenant. Those who accept it are bound to the God King. They are Sworn. I am Sworn."

She brought her hands together, rubbing them nervously.

"You have to understand; Lucian's Deathfog broke us. We were left defeated, leaderless. Then the God King started to speak to us. He offered victory, immortality, anything we desired, in exchange for loyalty. How could we refuse? Once you are Sworn, there is no escape. Your life is the God King's. Fail or betray him, and you are doomed. Unless you find a way to break the Covenant."

"Hold that thought," I raised my finger. I took off my backpack and pulled out the tablet.

"Is this what you were going to ask us to find?"

Almira took the tablet in her hands. Her eyes widened seeing the inscriptions.

"My… you are a special one, aren't you?"

"I had a gut feeling about luging it with me," I said. "Turns out it payed off."

"Indeed," Almira said. She walked over to the nearby desk and took a backpack off it. She stowed the tablet inside and pulled it over her shoulder.

"That settles it then, we will join you on your journey," she said.

Before the other others were about to speak, Almira raised her hand.

"Don't worry, you can go attend to whatever business you need to accomplish here on Reaper's Coast. A black little birdie told me you've a ship along the shore."

"That's correct," I said.

"Then that is where we'll go," Almira said. She walked over to Mihaly and took his hand. He stood up from the bed.

"Thank you, my friend. We'll see you again soon."

The human and demon walked hand in hand out the doorway into the ruined but sunny landscape. The four of us stood in the room looking at each other awkwardly. Ifan was the one to break the silence.

"Well… this was quite an adventure wasn't it," Ifan said.

No one responded immediately. The silence returned until I spoke.

"Indeed, it was," I said. But still no one said anything until Ifan spoke again.

"Guess going into the eye of the apocalypse was worth it after all."

He gave a playful nudge on the Red Prince's shoulder.

"Thanks for suggesting it, your highness," he said.

The Red Prince looked at Ifan with a wince. But then his eyes opened wide.

"My word!" he exclaimed. "I've completely forgot why I wanted to come through here. We need to get going!"

He darted out the door leaving only three of us to look at each other instead of four. Ifan took a breath and walked to the doorway. He stood in the middle and looked at Sebille and me.

"Onwards?" he asked.

When I looked at the landscape out the window, there really wasn't anything to gain from staying here any longer. I took a breath and renewed my confidence.

"Onwards."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Damn it! Why do my chapters always end up being so long?! Oh yeah, it's because this game is long. That makes sense.

Anyway, here's my take on the journey through Paradise Downs. Stick around because I'm really looking forward to writing about what happens next 😉.

Thank you again for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

After twenty more minutes, we had finally reached the edge of the torn landscape of Paradise Downs. I flew everyone across the final gap. Once across, we walked up an intact road over a hill, leaving behind the broken landscape hopefully to never be seen again. Thank goodness that was over with. We took a moment to rest ourselves before Sebille asked the important question to the Red Prince.

"How much further, oh prince of princes?"

The Red Prince looked back at us. Before he said anything, his eyes wandered to observe our surroundings. I had a hunch he was recalling his dream to gain a sense of where he needed to go next. After a minute, he pointed to a path to the left of the road.

"We're close," the Red Prince said. "So very close."

He started walking down the path with the rest of us in tow. A brush of trees flanked our left while a rock wall flanked our right.

"Yes," the Red Prince said. "Yes. It should be…"

We rounded a bend and the Red Prince gasped. When we caught up with him, we saw what he was looking at. In the rock wall was a gap wide enough for a wagon to fit through. Standing there were two lizard soldiers wearing the gold and red colors of the Ancient Empire. When we came closer, we saw a camp set up in an enclosed space within the rock wall.

 _What are Ancient Empire soldiers doing out here?_

"Are you the Red Prince?" the soldier on the right asked, keeping his gaze straight ahead of him.

"Indeed, I am," the Red Prince replied.

"You may proceed."

The two soldiers moved their spears aside, allowing the Red Prince through. Once passed them, he looked back at me. He offered his hand, beckoning me and only me to come through. But before I could take a step forward, the soldiers crossed their spears.

"Only the Red Prince may enter," the soldier on the left said.

"I assure you she is no threat," the Red Prince replied. "She is kin."

"Our orders are to allow you and only you to enter, your majesty," the soldier replied. "No one else."

The Red Prince looked over at me. His face displayed he was sorry for this circumstance.

"I apologize for this inconvenience," he said. "Perhaps when I have concluded my business here, I can convince these two to allow you to enter."

I raised my brows.

"How long is this going to take?" I asked.

The Red Prince looked back at the camp then at me.

"I'd say it'll take an hour at the least. Maybe two."

He looked to the trees behind us and the sky above.

"How's about you take a nice stroll while I attend to my business here. If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure there's a nice place to rest around the corner there."

He pointed further down the path opposite the way we came.

"You and the others deserve some fresh air after what just happened."

Considering "what just happened" happened not an hour ago, I did feel some anxiety leftover from the battle through Paradise Downs.

"Alright," I said. "We'll be back in an hour. Hopefully, I can see what you've spent your life trying to find."

The Red Prince smiled.

"You won't be disappointed."

He turned around and made his way into the camp. I kept my eyes on him until he turned a corner and walked to an unseen part of the camp. It was only me, Sebille, Ifan and the two lizard soldiers now. I turned around to the others.

"Shall we take that stroll?" I asked them.

"Why not?" Ifan said. Sebille's response was a grin.

The three of us continued down the grassy path alongside the rock wall. The path curved right and when we rounded that bend, we found ourselves before a small lake with a large tree by the shore. It reminded me of the oasis I visited as a child. This was the perfect place to relax and unwind.

"A 'nice place' indeed," I said.

"But also, a good place to catch one off guard," Sebille said.

"Well luckily for us, we have a guard," Ifan spoke. A moment later, Afrit appeared in front of us with a howl. I smiled and gave Afrit a pet on the head.

Everyone walked over to the tree and dropped their bags against the trunk.

"So…what's first?" Ifan asked.

I looked over to the lake and smiled. I started to undo my gauntlets and dropped them. I undid my boots then reached behind me to undo the clamps of my chest piece. Though female lizards shared a similar physique of the upper body as warm blooded species, the lack of mammary glands didn't make it taboo to have our upper bodies exposed.

All that was left of my attire was my loincloth around my hips and my amulet. I put my clothes by my bag and looked over at the others. I winked and ran toward the lake. I unfurled my wings and launched myself into the air. After I gained enough height, I retracted my wings and dove into the water. I let myself go, suspending my body in the cold water. When my breath was nearly used up, I forced my arms down and swam to the surface. I broke to the surface and breathed in the air. When I opened my eyes, I saw Ifan and Sebille stripped down to their undergarments and jumped into the water after me. What followed was a series of laughs and splashes around the water.

When we were finished, we emerged from the water. When I looked at myself, still wet, I paused and looked at the sun. I stopped and buried my feet into the sand and held out my arms. I closed my eyes and let the sunshine on me.

"What are you doing?" I heard Sebille ask.

"A little something to remind me of home," I said with my eyes still closed. "And to dry myself. Want to join me?"

I didn't hear a response from either of them at first. But eventually, I heard Sebille respond.

"No thanks. It's a little too… rooted for my taste."

I heard Ifan chuckle and I did too.

"Why not?" Ifan said.

I heard him walk to my side and a shuffling of sand as he buried his feet. I cracked an eye open to see Ifan holding his arms up the same way I did, letting the sun envelop his exposed chest. I closed both eyes and let my drenched scales take in the sun. I breathed the clean air in and out, feeling the calm around me. For a moment, I forgot the conflict around me. There were no Voidwoken. No Divine Order. No death. Only peace. I held onto this feeling for as long as I could. Eventually, I pulled myself out of the trance. I looked over at Ifan who was out of his. We pulled our feet from the sand.

"Well that was…" Ifan started. "Rather nice. Thanks for suggesting it."

"Of course," I said with a smile. We kept our gazes on each other longer than I'd have expected. Suddenly, we broke eye contact rather awkwardly. From the tree, Sebille sat with her cloths back on and hummed with a smile on her face. I hustled over to my robes and put everything back on while Ifan did the same. We lay with our backs on the trunk of the tree, Ifan on my right and Sebille on my left. We sat in silence in the shade, taking in the sights and sounds

"We've had quite an adventure so far haven't we?" Ifan said.

"We sure have," Sebille said. "Is it time to tell each other what their favorite parts are?"

"Perhaps," I said. "How's about you start Ifan?"

"Hmmm," he brought his hand to his chin. "If I'd have to choose, I'd have go with my resignation from the Lone Wolves."

"Our escape into the river defiantly was highlight," I said. "What about you Sebille?"

"Oooooooh," Sebille pondered. "I'd have to go with our battle with the voidwoken worm before we boarded the Lady Vengeance. That moment you were covered in the monster's blood was rather amusing."

Her mentioning that moment brought back the awful stench to my nostrils. I snorted and we chuckled.

"Now I don't think you don't even have to say what your favorite part is because we already know what it is," Sebille leaned toward me.

She was right. I took a hold of my amulet and looked down at it.

"I never thought I'd meet a dragon in my life, let alone a Dragon Knight," I said.

I looked at the amulet for some time. But then I remembered something. I slowly put my amulet down.

"Though…meeting those three children was definitely something I really cherish."

"I'd imagine so," Ifan said. "They really seem to like you, especially Trice."

I chuckled remembering the first time she saw me asking if I was a dragon. But the chuckling stopped when my thoughts wandered to something else. My smile slowly turned into a frown.

"You okay?" Ifan took notice of the change in my expression.

"Yeah, I'm…"

I paused before I reached into my pocket and pulled out the silver necklace of Paulie's mother. The memories flooded through me. I closed my fingers around the necklace and squeezed my eyes shut. I sighed and opened my eyes again.

"Sorry," I said putting the necklace away. "I don't mean to be a downer. But this adventure hasn't been all happy memories."

I felt Ifan put his hand on my shoulder. I looked over to see his empathetic gaze lock with my own.

"I know it must have been hard having to endure all of this after having a rather peaceful life," he said. "But if it means anything, you've handled it rather well. You've a lot of courage to do what you've done so far."

I found myself putting my hand on top of his. I looked deep into his eyes.

"Honestly," I said. "I don't think I'd have been able to make it through this without you."

I turned my head to Sebille.

"Both of you. You are the best friends I've ever had in my life. I'm very happy to have met you."

Sebille's gaze wandered absently to the side to look at nothing.

"Yeah, I suppose I feel the same."

She looked back at me. After a moment, she came closer and gave me a hug. I was a little surprised, but I adjusted to it. I looked over at Ifan. He came closer and joined the group hug. I dipped my head and rested my chin on top of the gap between Sebille and Ifan's head. I felt the warmth of their bodies flow into me. Once again, I felt a sense of peace, this time with two of the most amazing people I had met in my life. We kept it going for a while until I remembered something.

"There's something I need to tell you," I said.

They pulled away

"What is it?" Ifan asked.

"This morning, when we were on our way to the Blackpits, the Red Prince talked to me."

Sebille tilted her head with an intrigued look in her eye.

"Really? I didn't notice because I didn't hear any shouting."

I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Anyway, he told m-"

Afrit's growl interrupted me as he got to his feet, his gaze locked on the path leading to the camp.

"Is there trouble, boy?" Ifan asked.

Afrit barked and dashed up the path, wanting us to follow. We got to our feet and grabbed our bags. We ran as fast as we could after Afrit. We rounded the bend to find the Empire guards laying on the ground dead.

"Oh no," I told myself.

We rushed into the camp to find a rather gruesome but at the same time odd scene. The gruesome bit was the bodies of lizards littering the camp. Most were of the Empire while two of them wore oily black attire. But the odd part was the Red Prince standing in the middle of it holding a sword.

And he was completely naked.

He almost didn't notice us when we stopped just behind him. Instead, his gaze was fixed on four lizards standing before a wagon. Three of them wore the same oily black attire. The fourth was a female lizard. She was on her knees being held by what looked to be the leader with a knife to her throat. She was naked too.

And she was red.

"What's going on here?!" I shouted over to the Red Prince. But he didn't reply to me. Instead he shouted at the leader holding the woman at knife point.

"Let her go, or I will cut you all down where you stand!"

The leader chuckled, most likely because of the Red Prince's lack of protection when he made his threat. When he finished his chuckling, he spoke into the woman's ear.

"My oh my, you didn't tell lover boy anything, did you, dollface? Naughty, naughty!"

He moved his mouth away from her ear and looked at the Red Prince again.

"You've been played for a fool, little prince," he said. "She's sworn to another!"

 _Sworn?_

I looked at the others next to me who had the same expression as I did. Even with his face turned from me, I could tell the Red Prince had the same reaction from his deflating stance.

"That's right…" the lizard continued. "Your boo is betrothed to a very different kind of king. All she needed from you was a dollop of prophecy juice. I dare say she got it."

 _Prophecy Juice?_

From the fact both she and the Red Prince had no attire on, "prophecy juice" could only mean…

 _Ugh! What is going on here?_

"YOU UTTER VILLAIN!" the woman shouted. The leader adjusted his grip and brought the knife closer to her throat. The Red Prince sharpened his stance.

"Sadha, my sweet," the Red Prince exclaimed. "Our meeting had been shrouded in mystery but know that I'll do right by you. Know that I love you!"

 _Sadha?_

I blinked.

 _No. No that can't be right! That's not possible!_

"Awww, ain't that as sweet as a bowl full of peaches!" the leader said. "Hate to be that guy, but I've got a job to do. Come princess, time for you and your belly full of litter to crawl back to the king."

"NOOOOAAAUHH" the woman screamed as the battle erupted. The two lizards flanking the leader threw down smoke bombs at their feet. The Red Prince hesitated. Without armor, he would be venerable if he charged in blind. The smoke dissipated showing that the three lizards and the woman were gone. The only thing that we saw was the wagon door closing. The assassins were invisible, waiting to strike at us. Thinking quickly, I hopped in front of the Red Prince and cast my blinding radiance spell. The two assassins were revealed holding their hands up stunned by the light. With them vulnerable, the Red Prince swung his sword and sliced the throat of the assassin on the right while Sebille gracefully slit the throat of the one on the left. Both lizards fell to their knees and then to the ground, blood gushing from their opened wounds.

With the attackers dealt with, the Red Prince dashed to wagon. He opened the door. He looked inside but didn't enter it. From the floor of the wagon, a satin handkerchief fell. He dropped his sword and caught the handkerchief before it touched the ground. He stared at it for a moment. He brought it to his snout and sniffed it before tears started to swell in his ember eyes.

"She's gone," he said. "They've taken her. We need t-"

A fist careened straight into his snout forcing him backward. The back of his head hit the side of the wagon before he fell to the ground on his back. Before he could get up, a foot came down onto his throat, pinning him to the ground. He looked up to see a blood covered gauntlet pointing a wand straight at his head.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING FUCKING THE PRINCESS OF MY HOUSE!?" I shouted.

The anger in me was blazing, almost to the point that I was going to expel another jet of flames from my mouth. I saw in the corner of my eye Ifan and Sebille had walked up next to me while Afrit had returned to Ifan. But I didn't shift my gaze from the red bastard under my foot. He looked up at me with actual fear in his ember eyes. He inhaled through his constricted throat and did his best to speak to me.

"D-do you know why you and I _-ugh-_ can breathe fire?" he asked me.

My silence was my response.

"It's be- because we were _-groan-_ dragons once."

My stone face of anger cracked as my eyes widened.

"What?" I said. From the corner of my eye, I could see Ifan and Sebille look at each other in confusion. I adjusted my foot to press down where the Red Prince's neck met his chest, his throat clear to speak normally.

"Eons ago, we were great red dragons," he began. "Somehow we withered. We shrank, our wings shriveled. Nevermore to be the majestic creatures we once were."

"And where does Sadha factor into all this?!" I asked him sharply.

The Red Prince looked to the wagon.

"There's a prophecy," he said. "Two lizards would be born red of scale. Sadha was the one I have dreamed of since birth. We were destined to meet and become the mother and father of dragons."

A silence enveloped us. The realization echoed in me. The Princess of the House of Law and the Prince of the House of War were destined to give birth to dragons?

"Wait a minute," Ifan said to me. "You said that woman was the princess of your house? The House of Law?"

I didn't look at him but nodded.

"You knew her?"

"Only by name," I said. "I've never seen her in person."

I looked down at the Red Prince again.

"Was she the one you were trying to show me?" I asked. "You wanted me to know of this prophecy to bring back dragons?"

"Yes," he said. "I wanted to show you the future of our people. When I would retake my throne, with Sadha as my empress, our houses would become united to become the House of Dragons."

My gaze drifted away from the Red Prince. I stared straight ahead, looking through the wagon. My foot lifted from the Red Prince's chest. I turned my body around and wandered several paces before I stopped. I saw Ifan and Sebille come up to me in the corner of my eyes.

"Are you okay?" Ifan asked. I didn't respond.

All I did was stare at the rock wall, thinking about all the revelations that were laid in front of me. I heard the Red Prince get to his feet behind me.

"Please," I heard him say. "You have to help me find h-."

"AAAAARGH!"

The Red Prince ducked as a fireball flew by and hit the wagon. He dived onto the ground as another landed near him. He frightfully crawled backward as fireball after fireball hit the ground around him. Once again, I put my foot down on his chest and pointed my wand straight at his head.

"WHY?!" I shouted at him. "WHY SHOULD WE HELP YOU?!"

My body seethed with anger. He stuttered trying to come up with words in his daze of fear.

"The last time you spoke to me, you told me Ifan and Sebille were trying to manipulate me. You drew the lines in the sand. Now you want their help?!"

I snapped my head to Ifan and Sebille who stood there with their eyes wide open.

"What do you think?" I asked them. "Do you want to help this red bastard find the woman who's going to birth an army of dragons?"

Ifan stood in silence looking down at the Red Prince. He brought his hands to his hips and made an uneasy sigh trying to comprehend the situation.

"I try my best to not get involved in politics, especially with other species," he said. "But if you want me to be honest, the thought of a brood of dragons being born to a leader who believes slavery is an artform… I won't lie in saying I don't feel a little unsettled by that."

I looked over at Sebille. She closed her eyes and sighed. She brought her hand up and gently stroked the scar on her cheek.

"There was a reason I had a hatred of lizards after I escaped the master."

She opened her eyes and looked over at me.

"These last few days, I was shown perhaps there was more to them than I thought."

She looked over at the Red Prince. Her eyes were sharp as daggers at first but then dissipated. Her expression was what I could interpret as disappointment.

"But now, I'm sad to be reminded of their capacity for cruelty."

I turned my attention back to the Red Prince.

"Looks like they don't want the honor of serving the exalted House of War!"

But then I remembered.

"Or rather, the House of Dragons. Better get used to that now that Sadha has destroyed my home by offering herself to you!"

"P-plea-"

"NO!" I pressed my foot onto his throat again. "I will not take this anymore! You've been a thorn in my side for too long! You had the nerve to touch me on the ship and declare me your slave! You had the audacity to revel in the thoughts of owning slaves when you heard the story of a person who suffered from it."

My voice rose until I was shouting again.

"ON TOP OF ALL OF THAT, YOU JUST HANDED A DRAGON EGG RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE GOD KING, YOU IDIOT!"

I only stared at the Red Prince as the anger it me peaked. His eyes only showed fear and tears. I put my wand away but kept my foot on his throat. My anger wasn't as strong to make me shout, but it still enveloped me.

"This morning you told me that I had no desire or reason to be the next Divine. Well I now I do!"

I held up my amulet.

"It's to protect people from those who wish to harm them! I will not let a selfish, unsympathetic tyrant have an army of dragons to take children away from their families to be made into slaves! When I become the next Divine, I will personally tear down the walls of the Forbidden City and free every slave trapped within it!"

I pushed harder onto the Red Prince's throat and leaned closer to him.

"I hope you'll still be alive to see it. Maybe then you'll finally know what it feels like to have a part of yourself be stolen from you."

With that, I lifted my foot from his throat. As he lay on his back coughing and gagging, I stood before Ifan and Sebille. Instead of faces of appreciation, they had faces of concern. I suddenly felt a weight on my hand. I brought it up for me to see. My engagement ring rested on my finger, only if felt tighter. Like it was weighing me down. I slipped it off my finger and looked at it. My anger kept burning in me as I narrowed my eyes on the metal.

I threw it to the ground.

"We're leaving," I said and walked past Ifan and Sebille. I wanted to get away from this place as soon as possible.

"Wait," Ifan said. "What about him?"

I stopped but didn't turn around to face Ifan. I couldn't bare to see the Red Prince, even a glance in the corner of my eye.

"We don't need him," I said.

"But without him, how will we find Sadha or the egg?" he asked.

I paused to think. Then I remembered.

"I have a feeling the Master will have the answers we need before Sebille kills him."

I heard Sebille hum with content.

"I'm sure that could work," she said. "What about you, Ifan? Do you think we still need him?"

There was a small pause for Ifan to think.

"We'll lose our frontline fighter," Ifan said. "Our battles will be a lot more difficult without him. But if you think he's just as evil as Braccus Rex, then I'll differ my concern."

"Good," I nodded, still not turning my head. "Let's go."

I took one step forward.

"I'M SORRY MAHALIA!"

I stopped. It was the voice of the Red Prince. But it couldn't be. He'd never say my actual name. As much as I didn't want to see a single scale of him again, I turned around to see the pitiful lizard curled up on all fours, as if begging for forgiveness.

"You're what?" I said, anger still lingering in me.

The Red Prince lifted his head to look up at me with his tear-filled ember eyes.

"I'm sorry I grabbed you on the ship and declared you my slave," he continued to speak with sobs behind his words. "I was desperate and needed something familiar to help myself cope with the reality that I was no longer in the comfort of the Empire."

He gasped from a wad of sadness.

"Ever since my exile, my dreams of Sadha were what guided me in this world. It kept me going through the hardships I've had to endure. She was the one thing that made me feel something for once in my life. Being here and meeting her in the flesh, I felt… love."

His body contorted, as if he was about to hurl in the middle of his sobs.

"But now that I have met her, made love to her and had her taken away from me, I now understand the pain."

He shifted his gaze to the person to my right.

"I'm sorry, Sebille."

Once again, my stone face of anger cracked. I looked over to Sebille who was just as surprised as I was hearing the Red Prince say her name for the first time.

"My desire to find Sadha had blinded me to the reality of your pain. Now that Sadha is gone, I know what it feels like to have a part of yourself be taken away."

He brought his head down and sobbed harder.

"I know I deserve every reprimand you've given me so far. Instead of opening myself to learn about you three, I chose to keep everything to myself and see you three as a means to my end. Now I know that way of thinking won't help me get back what is most important to me. I know you don't trust me. That is why you have my word, when the time comes, I will not interfere in who will become the next Divine. You can have it. All I ask is that you help me find Sadha."

He pressed his forehead into the earth while he continued to sob. The grand Red Prince was on his knees naked, apologizing and begging me for help. I tightened my fist and gritted my teeth.

"Get up!"

The Red Prince stopped his sobbing and lifted his head to look at me with his ember eyes drowning in tears.

"Get up and get dressed!" I snapped at him. "Do it quickly or you'll be left behind!"

I turned around and stormed out of the camp.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Doppelganger:_ a ghostly double or counterpart of a living person.

A huge departure from what happens in the game. Did I do a good enough job?

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"Paulie. I'm…I'm so sorry."

Paulie held his mother's necklace in his hands. He looked over at me kneeling at his level. He came over and threw his arms around me. I held him close as he nestled his head into my chest. Trice and Sandy came in and gave their hugs to both of us.

We spent the rest of the day traveling through the Cullwoods back to the Lady Vengeance. It was evening by the time we arrived with the sun setting on the horizon. We entered the lifeboat along with our fifth passenger who patently waited for us, Xiuh. Once aboard, the children had fun being introduced to my new salamander pet. I figured it was best to give them some enjoyment before I had to tell them the unfortunate truth. I kept holding on to Paulie until he pulled away.

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked him.

Paulie stayed silent but nodded. His eyes showed he was still sad but was slowly copping with his loss. He walked away and the other kids followed him. There wasn't anything else I could do now. I stood up and descended into the ship. I emptied my bag of the books, robes I changed out of and other things I picked up on the way into a chest by the bunk I slept in two days ago. Afterwards, I retreated into the cargo hold. I sat down at the same spot I did when I first arrived on the ship. Only this time, I wasn't crying. Instead, I sat in silence looking down at the planks of livewood.

So much had happened in the last two days. The revelation of Sebille's past, the death of Paulie's mother, and to top it all off, learning of a prophecy to unite my House with the House of slavery to bring back dragons that could bring terror and misery to thousands of innocent people. The result was a heap of doubt that weighed my entire body down. A departure from the high spirits I had when we rested at the lake.

I sat alone in the dark room until two figures appeared in the corner of my eye. I didn't shift my gaze because I already knew who they were.

"Do you mind having some company?" Ifan asked.

"Not really," I said not taking my gaze off the floor. Both Sebille and Ifan sat down next to me on both sides like they did under the tree.

"Are Almira and Mihaly settling in nice?" I asked.

"Quite so," Ifan said.

"Good," I said. "Did Gareth say anything about his encounter with the Silent Monks?"

"Only that he wants us to kill every Magister we come across from here on," Sebille said.

"Well that'll be easy to do, won't it?" I said.

The others nodded. A silence followed. Eventually, Sebille spoke up.

"I'm curious about something," she said. "Did you really mean what you said about tearing apart the lizard Empire to free the slaves?"

I had a feeling they were going to ask me about that. I took a deep breath and lay my head against the beam. After I exhaled, I stood up and faced them like I was about to perform a monolog for a play. I looked directly at Sebille first as I started to pace in front of them.

"Ever since you put your needle to my throat, and hearing the Lady Vengeance tell her story, I've felt so much shame for wearing the skin of a lizard. At first, I managed to convince myself I wasn't a monster because I was a member of the House of Law. Now that Sadha has offered herself to the Red Bastard…"

I paused. My audience nodded in acknowledgement.

"During my conversation with the Red Bastard, the one you eavesdropped on, I felt I was in a dark place. All I could hear were the screams of people having the scar burned into them while my people sung gleefully in the old tongue."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, like I was transitioning to the next act. I looked directly at Sebille again.

"On top of that, hearing your story about how the Mother Tree wanted to use you started to make me doubt myself even more when it came to my family. Before, I was the good girl who did what she was told. Maintain discipline, practice the art of speech, impress Brell's family, maintain my virginity; everything I did was to improve my family legacy. All the while I believed I was going to do good for the Empire."

I paused and looked at my ringless hand.

"Now with my House joined to the House of Slavery, what good will I ever be able to accomplish?"

Both Ifan and Sebille looked at each other. I inhaled and transitioned to the next act.

"After everything that's happened, I feel like there's something in me; like a stain I can't get out of my soul. It feels like a need for atonement for my ignorance for not seeing the pain my species has inflicted on other people."

"And you believe Divinity and destroying the Ancient Empire is the way to do it?" Ifan asked.

I didn't answer immediately. Instead I paced around and pondered until I stopped to give my answer.

"I honestly don't know. Ever since I saw Sadha at the camp, all I can hear are the screams of the slaves who are trapped within the Forbidden City. All I can see are children being plucked up by red dragons and the scar being burned into their flesh."

I clenched my fists.

"A part of me wants to burn the Forbidden City to the ground and make every lizard who ever sung a slave song suffer. But at the same time, I feel like doing that would make me no better than the Red Bastard."

I closed my eyes.

"I don't know what I should do. I don't know what I want to do. I don't even know who I am right now. I don't know anything."

I stood in the middle of the hold in silence with my head bent down. I expected myself to cry again. But I didn't. I only felt I was in a sort of limbo between the realm of the living and the Hall of Echoes.

Eventually, I felt a hand take mine. I was pulled out of limbo and opened my eyes. Sebille stood before me with her hands holding mine. Instead of her usual playful smirk, her eyes showed sincere empathy, and perhaps a hint of sadness.

"I've been meaning to tell you something for a while," she said. I tilted my head.

"I'm sorry I put my needle to your throat and that I ratted out Stingtail when you promised you wouldn't."

She took a deep breath, seemingly trying to hold back the sadness lingering in her eyes.

"If you think you're a bad person because you wear the skin of the man who abused me, don't be. You're nothing like him. You're a better person than he is."

She paused for a moment.

"In fact, you're a better person than I am."

My brows shot up taken aback by her words.

"What?" I said. "What are you talking about?"

She inhaled deeply before she placed her hand on my amulet.

"Slane gave you this for a reason, and I know why."

She took my hand into hers again.

"You're a compassionate soul who wants to do good things for this twisted world. You try to resolve matters peacefully but won't hesitate to jump headfirst into the fire to protect your friends and innocent people. On top of all of that, I really appreciate you standing up for people who have been hurt by lizards."

She paused for a moment, inhaling a soft breath.

"But you shouldn't murder thousands of lizards to prove you're a good person."

I twitched slightly, surprised from what she said. Sebille rolled up her left sleeve showing the names of the people she killed so far to get to the Master. When I looked closer, I saw two freshly engraved names: Stingtail and Roost.

"I called out Stingtail because I wanted him to suffer for what he did to me. I found pleasure in hearing Roost scream in pain before he was done in."

She looked at the names for a moment.

"Even when I wasn't under the Master's influence, I killed so many people and found pleasure in it."

She looked up at me again. I could see a tear ready to be expelled from her left eye.

"What I'm trying to say is…"

She rolled her sleeve back down.

"I don't want you to end up like me."

I found myself at a loss for words. I heard Ifan walk up next to me and gently place his hand on Sebille's shoulder. She replied with a sigh.

"You should continue to be the person you are now. A guardian who uses her tongue to make peace when possible and only kills when there's no other option."

She reached up and gently brushed her hand against my cheek.

"That's what makes you a good person. And that's what makes you the best friend I've ever had."

The tear in her eye fell and ran down her cheek, grazing the edge of her scar. When the shock of what she said wore off, I lifted my hand and gently brushed the tear away. Like what happened between Ifan and me yesterday, the emotions in her took over. She moved in and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. All I could do was bring my arms around her and hold her close. I then felt Ifan come in and hug both of us. I closed my eyes and felt their bodies warm my cold blood once again. In that moment, I felt the worry and depression simmer out of me. The anger and guilt were gone. Instead, I felt peace again.

The embrace lasted until Ifan loosened his grip and allowed Sebille to step away. She looked up at me. She gave a faint smile to me and I returned it in kind. I felt Ifan place his hand on my shoulder and I looked to him.

"How's about I bring you two to a special place to take your minds off things?" he said looking at both of us. He motioned his head to the balcony above. Sebille looked over at me and nodded while I did the same.

"Why not?" I said to Ifan.

Ifan grinned and winked. He led us up the stairs to the hatch. We emerged from below and ascended the stairs to the top deck. Once up top, I looked to the horizon to see the sun was on the cusp of disappearing behind the sea. To my surprise, I saw the silhouette of someone leaning against the railing looking over the waves. It seemed to be poetic when recognized who it was sulking over the sunset.

The three of us looked at each other. Eventually Ifan gave me the look I was dreading.

"Oh, very well," I rolled my eyes. "Might as well have the full team, right?"

Ifan shot a brief grin before walking over to the Red Prince. Ifan gently patted him on the shoulder and said something I couldn't hear. Shortly after, both men came back to Sebille and I. With our party brought together, Ifan walked over to the lifeboat to prepare it.

As he did, the Red Prince lifted his head to look up at me. Instead of the eyes of a domineering and arrogant ruler who believed he was entitled to godhood, the eyes I saw were ones of a broken man who lost something dear to him. I pulled my gaze away from his ember eyes before it went any further.

When Ifan had finished the preparations, we started to file into the boat. I was the last to enter. Before I entered, I heard the children run up behind me.

"Are you leaving again, Mahalia?" Sandy asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," I said. "We still have a few things to do. But hopefully we'll be back tomorrow evening."

"Okay," Trice said.

"Good luck, Mahalia," Paulie said. He sounded better. That made me feel some comfort.

"Thank you," I said.

Ifan lowered the boat until it hit the water below. Like yesterday, we rowed to shore and made landfall in the same spot. We walked up the path to Driftwood and entered the town the same way avoiding Magister patrols. We walked through the market with the merchants closing their stands. Ifan lead us to the Tavern and we entered it. The evening brought several people into the tavern to grab a drink and a meal. But Ifan didn't stop at the nearest vacant table. Instead he led us to the back section of the building.

There, a human man stood. Ifan reached into his coin purse and put a dozen coins into the man's hand.

"Two rooms," Ifan said. "Name is Conner."

The man nodded and walked to the front desk. Ifan continued to a door in the back. When he opened it, it revealed a room with a flight of stairs leading down to what looked like a basement. Sitting on a stool next to the stairs was a heavily armored dwarf. He looked up when Ifan was close enough.

"Hold it," he said in a tired voice. "Papa no know! You no go!"

Ifan walked toward the dwarf and kneeled to his level.

"You sure about that?" he said.

The dwarf squinted at Ifan's face. His eyes widened and his body jolted, almost falling over his stool.

"Well, I'll be thrice-cussed to the Void: Ifan ben-Mezd!"

Ifan chuckled and gave the dwarf a clap on the shoulder.

"I saw them collar you good, boy. Didn't think we'd hear you growling around here again."

"I've been busy," Ifan replied. He looked back at the rest of us. "I've decided to bring my friends here to have a good time before we get back to our adventures."

The dwarf looked down at the door at the bottom of the steps.

"Well then, down you go. But no shenanigans, mind. I hear of any more incidents down there; I'll shave your damn wolf bald myself."

Ifan replied with a grin. He stood up and nodded to the rest of us. He walked down the stairs and we followed him. We went through the door and found ourselves in a cave tunnel. We followed it until we turned a corner that lead to a wooden structure built into a large sprawling cave. It was the Undertavern Ifan spoke of. There were red curtains everywhere with tables occupied by several people who wouldn't look out of place at the Lone Wolf camp in the Cullwoods. In the center were several bards on a stage with their instruments playing and their voices chanting away. Before them, several patrons danced to the melodies.

Straight ahead was the reception desk with a dwarven lady writing something in a ledger. Ifan walked up to the desk and gently tapped his fist on the wood to get her attention. When she looked up her eyes widened just like the guard upstairs.

"Hello, Effie," Ifan said with a charming smile.

"Ifan ben-Mezd! As I live and breathe," she said. "I didn't think I'd see you back in Driftwood again. No, no, don't tell me. If I don't know the story, I won't have to lie about it later."

She reached up and gave Ifan a pinch on the cheek while he gave me an exaggerated wink. Once she was finished, she looked back and pointed.

"You've arrived at the right time. Got a table with seats for all four of ya just over there."

"Thank you, Effie. You're the best," Ifan said.

She smiled and got back to writing into her ledger. Ifan beckoned us to follow. We walked through the patrons chatting and cheering to the vacant table where we took our seats; Sebille and I on one side and the Red Prince on the other.

"I'll be right back," Ifan walked up to the bartender across the dance floor. Three minutes later, he was walking back with four mugs of beer in his hands. He handed each of us one and sat down next to the Red Prince with his. He brought it up and proposed a toast.

"To our adventure," he said. One-by-one, we raised our mugs and repeated.

"To our adventure," we repeated.

We clinked our mugs together and drank. I took a gulp of the alcoholic liquid. Normally, I was a wine person. But I found myself adjusting to my beverage rather quickly. I drank about a quarter of my drink before I brought it down. Ifan and Sebille seemed to drink the same amount while the Red Prince took his time and gulped down over half of his beverage before slamming it onto the table. I looked around the tavern.

"This is…" I started. "Rather nice for a hive of scum and villainy. Or maybe I'm adjusting to the outlaw lifestyle."

Everyone chuckled except for the Red Prince who was already taking another swig of his beer.

"It has its ups and downs," Ifan said with a smile. "But whatever the reason, I feel right at home here."

I smiled and took another gulp of my beer.

"So, where exactly did your 'accident' take place?" I asked.

Ifan smiled and pointed at a corner of the tavern. There was a lounge with pillows and a large pipe in the middle. It was a drudanae pipe. Lounging around were lizards and other species taking in the vapors. He then told us exactly where he saw the tiger and where he trashed the tavern. We laughed and continued to talk amongst each other. Ifan recalled many of his stories that earned several laughs while I told everyone funny moments from my childhood and the boring times when I accompanied Brell to his parties.

"I'd absolutely die of boredom if I was in your position," Sebille said.

"Well, after these past few days, I'd probably die too if I went back to that lifestyle," I replied.

We all chuckled. Just then, the Red Prince put his empty mug onto the table and got to his feet.

"It's been a pleasure to hear your stories, friends," he said in a tipsy nature. "But you must excuse me."

He strolled across the tavern all the way to the brewery. He reached into his coin purse and laid out a pile of coins. Soon after, he had a pint in his hand and started to sip away at it.

"Well at least he's dealing with his issues that isn't harming anyone but himself," Sebille said.

"It'll probably be a problem we'll have to deal with in the morning though," I said.

"Yeah," Ifan said. "But I'd say let him have his pity party. For now, let's just enjoy our time tonight."

I smiled and nodded. Just then, the bards changed their tune to one I was familiar with. It was a song I danced to when I was younger. I looked at the others for a moment. I put down my mug and got to my feet. I walked onto the floor and took a breath. I felt the music enter me. When I opened my eyes, I let my body go. I twisted my body around to the smooth melody of the strings and woodwinds. I swung my hips around with my tail whipping behind me in pure elegance. In that moment, I felt I was…myself. Not a persona I put on for my family, Brell or the envoy I was assigned to. But myself.

I continued to twirl my body until the song reached its crescendo, posing as the final note ended. The patrons cheered, though if it was for me or the bards was anyone's guess. When I looked up, I saw Ifan standing up looking at me applauding. Seeing him made me feel a rush of blood come to my face.

The music started again. This time it was throbbing with drums and unrelenting energy. When I looked over at Ifan again, I was startled to see him stumbling toward me. I brought my arms and caught him before he fell. I looked up to see Sebille standing where Ifan stood moments before. She brought her thumb up and winked.

When I looked down at Ifan, he looked up at me. At first, it felt so awkward that I was petrified. But when I looked over at the band and listened to the music, I felt my body become able to move again. I felt my confidence grow. I looked into Ifan's eyes and grinned.

I placed my hand on his shoulder and took his hand with the other. I took a step to the right. He was slow to respond at first, but after three more steps, his awkward face slowly transformed into a smile. He placed his other hand on my waste and followed my lead. We hopped around the room together in tandem with the drums. I couldn't help but giggle as the both of us danced together. The rhythm was perfect, our bodies twirled gracefully around the room. Though our bodies were very different, I could feel a sense of harmony between us. We locked hands and started spinning in the middle of the room. As the world spun around us, we looked into each other's eyes and all we could do was laugh. We came out of our spin just as the song ended. Both of us took a moment to catch our breath and reorient ourselves with the room. The patrons around us applauded louder than the previous time. I was starting to think they were applauding our performance, but I didn't ponder it. Instead, both Ifan and I retreated to our table and sat beside each other.

When I looked around, I noticed Sebille was on the dance floor with her sly grin on her face. She winked and started to dance by herself. I looked over at Ifan who was still catching his breath.

"I didn't know you danced so well," I said to him.

"To be honest, neither did I," he said.

We continued to pant until both our breathing returned to normal. Our eyes met and I felt a warmth flow into me seeing his smiling face. I looked down at his hand resting on his lap. I placed my hand on top of it.

"I wanted to thank you for bringing me here tonight," I said. "I'm really having a good time."

"Of course," Ifan said. "What are friends for?"

I kept my smile on while I looked at him. It was then I noticed that I kept my hand on top of his a little longer than he probably expected. I felt a rush of blood flow to my face.

"Are you okay?" Ifan asked.

I didn't reply immediately. Instead my mind was racing with so many thoughts I couldn't comprehend. Then out of the haze, I heard my own voice in my head telling me something.

 _Tell him. It's your chance._

I could feel my racing heart slow down and my mind clear up. I looked over at Ifan who had a suspicious eyebrow up.

"I…I have to tell you something," I said.

"What is it?" Ifan asked. I could sense concern in his voice.

I took a deep breath.

"Remember earlier about how we talked about our favorite part about our adventure so far?"

Ifan's eyes shifted.

"Of course. What about it?" Ifan asked.

"Well," I paused. I could feel myself getting nervous. But I couldn't let that happen. Not now. I tucked it away and continued to talk.

"I think I have to make a change to my favorite part," I said.

Ifan's brows rose. I could sense he was getting nervous too.

"Oh yeah? What's the new one?"

 _This is it. Tell him now._

"You."

His brows shot up in surprise. From beneath the fur on his face, I could see his skin color.

"Umm…" He tried to say something but didn't know what to say. I felt the nervousness creeping back. But I knew I couldn't let it take over. I continued to talk.

"I mean, you've been there for me since the beginning. When we met, you didn't see me as a lizard. You saw me as a person who had discomfort with her collar and wanted to help."

I could feel the uneasiness evaporate and confidence take its place. I continued to talk.

"You were always there for me when I couldn't handle the horrible things we've encountered alone. You've always listened to me when I needed to say something."

I lifted his hand from his lap and put it in between my hands between the two of us.

"Whenever you're around me, I don't feel alone in this world."

What followed was perhaps the most awkward and terrifying silence I've experienced in my life. Ifan only stared at me with an expression I couldn't quite decipher. I had a nervous feeling in my stomach that slowly turned to fear. Did I mess this up? But before long, I felt Ifan's other hand come up to touch the back of my left hand. He moved his gaze to our hands embracing each other's.

"I'd…" he fumbled with his words. "I'd say the same about you."

From the middle of my stomach, I felt the nervous feeling starting to fade. I awaited what he was going to say next.

"I'm never lonely when you're around."

I felt relief flow into me. We stared into each other's eyes for a while. I moved closer to him. He smiled slyly, an expression that wasn't familiar to his rugged face. He moved closer to me. I could feel the warmth of his skin seeping over to me between the little gap between us. I inhaled his scent: wild and animalistic.

"You…you're incredible," he said.

He lifted his hand and gently placed it on my cheek. The warmth of his palm flowed into my skin. When I looked into his eyes, I could see something new in them. There were traces of the empathy he always had for me. But something else was there too. Affection.

 _Do it._

I closed my eyes and slowly leaned in. I could feel the warmth of his lips only inches away from my own. Moments later, I felt his-

 _CRASH!_

I pulled back with a start. My eyes shot open. Ifan and I were shocked from the sudden noise that startled both of us. We turned our heads to see what caused the sound.

"You don't understand," the Red Prince shouted stumbling around the bar. "She is the perfect soulmate. Her scales, so delicate. Her form, a masterpiece of creation. Her eyes, perfect sapphires. When I find her, she will rule beside me and bring eternal glory to the Empire. Our allies will rejoice, and our foes will tremble. They will either bask in our suns or by their fire be undone! Kneel before me, for I am the Father of Dragons. All of Rivellon will respect me or…"

The Father of Dragons fell onto the floor and passed out.

Ifan and I looked at each other. We suddenly burst out laughing. We continued to laugh until we took in several deep breaths. Once we calmed down, Ifan put his hand on my shoulder and looked at me with his warm grin.

"Let's try this again sometime," he said.

"Of course," I replied.

He let go of me and looked at the unconscious body of the Red Prince.

"I think it's time I help Prince Charming to his room for the night."

He stood up and gave me one last look.

"We've a big day tomorrow so sleep well."

I grinned.

"You too," I said.

With that, Ifan walked over to the Red Prince and lifted his heavy body with the help of a nearby bouncer. They carried the lizard up to the entrance while I sat at the table. Once the men had left, I saw Sebille come over and sit next to me.

"So…?" she tilted her head gingery.

Instead of feeling irritation, I felt content in me. I decided to respond with sincerity.

"It's a start," I said with a smile. She closed her eyes and presented a gleeful smile.

"Seems I've made a good choice giving you two the hook up," she said.

"I suppose thanks are in order," I said.

"You're very welcome," Sebille said. "What are friends for anyway?"

"Yeah," I said. A moment later, I felt a yawn come over me.

"Think I'll turn in for the night," I said getting to my feet.

"Sweet dreams," Sebille said with a wink.

I smiled as I walked out of the Undertavern.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Happy Holidays everyone.

Really wanted to get both halves of this chapter perfect and I think I got the closest I'll ever get with them. Do you think I did?

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

I sat alone at the empty table in the Tavern. I dipped my spoon into my bowl of porridge and brought it to my mouth. As I fed myself, all I could think about was what happened the previous night. The banter with my friends, the dance with Ifan and most importantly, the moment Ifan's whiskers grazed my lips before we were interrupted. I sighed with a smile on my face.

But at the same time, I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. My family was still at the Empire which was about to be attacked by the Divine Order. I told myself I couldn't do anything for them until I finished this journey. But at the same time, I thought about that moment I threw my ring away. I knew I wouldn't be happy if I decided to marry Brell. All that marriage would entail would be me accompanying him to his parties and him presenting me as if I was his personal statue when I wasn't out dealing with political disputes between other nations and the Empire. On top of that, I feared I would end up like Lady Johanna if I lived the life of a spoiled aristocrat.

But what would happen to my family now that I wasn't going back? When I pushed aside the complicated factors of the Red Prince and Sadha, I figured they'd stay the same and be traders the rest of their lives. But perhaps I could convince them to leave the Empire behind and pursue something different like I was. Or would me acquiring Divinity allow them to ascend to the highest ranks automatically? It was a lot to think about.

Just then, I saw two familiar faces coming down the stairs. It was Sebille and the Red Prince. Sebille looked refreshed from a good night's sleep while the Red Prince held his head as he constantly winced in pain. I remembered saying him drinking himself stupid would be problematic for me in the morning. And here it was. Both the elf and lizard walked over to the cook who produced two new bowls of porridge for them. They walked over to the table and sat down, Sebille next to me and the Red Prince across from me. Sebille gave me a warm smile, which I returned with a smile of my own, before digging into her breakfast. The only thing the Red Prince could do was rub his head while continuing to wince in pain.

"Was it worth it?" I asked the Red Prince.

"To be honest, I don't know," he replied.

As much as I still had resentful feelings toward him, I rolled my eyes and decided to help.

"Well regardless, we're going to need everyone at peak performance," I sighed. I stood up and raised my hand towards the Red Prince. I made the motion with my hand and spoke the words. A faint glow appeared around the lizard's head. He gasped like he was stretching a muscle that caused the good kind of pain. He blinked several times and rubbed his head to comprehend the Peace of Mind I cast on him.

"Hopefully the headache won't come back once the spell runs its course," I said sitting back down to finish the rest of my porridge.

"I…really appreciate the help, Mahalia," the Red Prince said. I stopped eating for a moment.

"Well…" I said. "You're welcome."

Just then, I saw Ifan emerge from the door to the Undertavern.

"Good morning everyone," he said.

"Good morning," I said with a cheery smile. Ifan couldn't help but shoot a small grin at me.

"You must have gotten up early," Sebille said.

"Indeed," Ifan took his seat beside the Red Prince. "That's because I've got a lead on another Source Master."

Everyone's attention was on Ifan.

"Where?" I asked.

Ifan lay down the map of Reapers Coast again. This time he pointed north along the coastline of Reaper's Bluffs. A fresh mark was placed on the map.

"Turns out an old acquaintance of mine knows where Mordus might be."

Mordus. The Dwarven Sourcerer who was suspected to be in the vicinity of Reaper's Bluffs.

"Who is your acquaintance who gave you this lead?" the Red Prince asked.

"Lohar," Ifan said. "The crime lord who runs the Undertavern."

The title of Crime Lord gave me pause for a moment. But when I thought about it, the Law wasn't that good either with the Divine Order patrolling the region.

"And how does Lohar know about Mordus?" the Red Prince asked.

"It's a long story," Ifan said. "But the gist is Lohar has a smuggling operation in a cave at the edge of Reaper's Bluffs."

He pointed to the new spot on the map.

"He suspects Mordus to be there, but he's got his hands tied here so he wants us to check it out."

"So, we're his lackies now?" Sebille asked.

"Well, he did say I owe him for my rude behavior last time I was here," Ifan said. "Figured it's the best way to repay him. And we're looking for Mordus for our own reasons anyway, so…"

"Good point," I tilted my head. "So, once we're fed and packed, should we meet outside before heading out?"

"Fifteen minutes should be long enough," Ifan replied. "See you then?"

I nodded along with Sebille. The Red Prince followed shortly after. Ifan smiled before getting to his feet and heading up stairs. A few minutes later, I finished my porridge and gave the bowl back to the Innkeeper. I went up the stairs to my room and gathered everything. Once everything was packed, I put my bag around my shoulders and exited the room. I made my way downstairs. Both Sebille and the Red Prince had finished their breakfast and walked past me to prepare themselves.

I walked out the door to see Ifan standing alone on the porch. He leaned on the edge of the railing looking over the market as all the merchants were setting up their shops. I walked up next to him and he turned his head to me.

"Ready?" Ifan asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Just need wait for the others."

Ifan nodded and turned back to looking over the market. I stood there looking over the market too. But a nagging feeling grew in my gut. It creeped up my torso until it reached my mind.

 _Come on. It's the best time before we need to go._

I sighed and turned to face Ifan directly. He noticed me doing so and faced me too.

"Listen, um…" I said. I held my hands together and bent my head down slyly. "About last night."

Ifan had a rather similar reaction. He leaned back while a blush grew over his sharp cheekbones. He moved his eyes shyly to the side while he twirled a single coin between his fingers.

"Yeah um…" he said. He pursed his lips together, clearly unable to say anything. We weren't going to get anywhere with this. I needed to move it along.

"Are you okay with this?" I said. Ifan's brows shot up. He stopped twirling his coin. Seeing his reaction made me panic realizing how stupid my words sounded.

"I mean, with us being… different."

 _WHAT?! What the hell are you even saying!?_

There was another awkward and, at the same time, terrifying pause between us. Ifan shifted his eyes left and right while bringing his hand up to brush the back of his head.

"Well…" Ifan said.

 _Oh gods! Don't tell me I messed this up!_

Ifan brought his hand down and looked directly at me.

"I don't have a problem with it," he said with confidence.

I felt as if my entire body was a knot that just undid itself, releasing all the tension built up in it. I felt my shoulders relax along with the rest of my body. But then, Ifan's face turned to one of concern.

"But are you okay with it?"

Now my brows shot up. In response, he twitched and shifted his gaze around before stuttering his response.

"I-I mean…"

He looked down at my ringless hand.

"Because you were, um…"

I reached over and touched his shoulder with my other hand. His gaze shot back up to me. I took a deep breath and sighed.

"I'm okay with it," I said with the confidence I willed up. "I made my choice."

I felt Ifan's timid behavior slowly ease away under my hand I had on his shoulder. He relaxed his body and his friendly grin returned to his face. He reached up and gently placed his hand on my cheek like he did the night before. I could feel the same draw to him that I experienced the night before.

 _Perha-_

We heard the door open. We looked to see both Sebille and the Red Prince walking out with their bags on. I made a glance over at Ifan. We both grinned and chuckled to ourselves. No luck yet again.

"You two ready?" I asked the latecomers.

"On the road again," Sebille said with her signature coy smile. The Red Prince only nodded.

"Alright then," Ifan said. "Follow me."

Ifan turned around and walked down the steps with the three of us in tow. We entered the market and proceeded north passed several houses along with the main fishery which still reeked of the stench of void tainted fish the day we first arrived. We eventually came to another bridge which was guarded by half a dozen magisters along with their Source hounds. Like the bridge we entered the town in from the south, we made a detour downstream to cross the river without alerting the guards.

Once we were on the paved road again, we continued our trek through the woods for just over an hour. Eventually, I felt the earth escalate as I saw the road ascend a cliffside. We'd arrived at Reaper's Bluffs. From the map, we were approximately halfway to the cave Ifan told us about. Like our journey to the sawmill in the Cullwoods, Ifan told us to take a breather. While the others sat down on the side of the road, I decided to walk a small distance away from them. I passed through the foliage until I emerged at the cliff's edge overlooking the coast. I leaned up against the nearest tree and crossed my arms. I closed my eyes and inhaled the salty air while listening to the sea crash against the cliff wall. Not exactly like the serenity I experienced with Ifan the day before after our swim, but this moment was peaceful, nonetheless.

Eventually, I heard someone walking from behind me. I opened my eyes and turned my head to see who it was.

 _Oh gods. Here we go._

I let out a heavy sigh and rolled my eyes. The Red Prince walked up to me with a rather peculiar flow in his step. Much different than the grandiose swagger he had before.

"May I speak with you, Mahalia?" he asked.

My brows shot up as I snapped my gaze to him.

"What is it with you calling us by our names all of a sudden?" I asked.

The Red Prince looked back through the foliage, presumably toward where Ifan and Sebille were most likely eavesdropping if they chose to do it again. He looked back at me with dim ember eyes instead of sizzling ember eyes.

"Well, if I am to earn the respect of my colleagues, I figured addressing them by their names would be a good start."

Normally, the Red Prince would speak with grandiose poise and confidence behind his words, with a dose of arrogance for good measure. But now, his posture was more hunched over while his voice sounded… remorseful. Was he really that affected by our stand off after Sadha was kidnapped? Or was he just putting on a persona to try and manipulate me again?

"What do you want?" I huffed.

The Red Prince took a deep breath.

"I wanted to ask you something," he said.

I raised my brow suspiciously.

"Okay… ask away."

He looked aside for a moment.

"How did you perceive the House of War before you were captured by the Magisters?"

It was a rather surprising question. I took a moment to remember my state of mind before any of this started.

"I thought the House of War was a necessary evil. There were many enemies of the Empire who needed to be dealt with. But I believed the House of Law was the only thing that kept the House of War on a leash. Without the House of Law, the people of the House of War would bring only misery to the world and create more enemies that would endanger the lives of our people."

I shifted my gaze away for a moment.

"But now, having been captured by the Magisters, speaking to beings who've been affected by our very own slave scar, and learning that the Princess of my House wants to merge both houses into one, on top of her plan to give birth to dragons thanks to a certain red lizard's prophecy juice, I feel very… afraid."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Without a counterweight, what's to stop people like you from unleashing your lust for bloodshed onto the world?"

The Red Prince tilted his head and shifted his eyes away shamefully.

"So that's how you see us?" he said as a statement rather than a question. "We're monsters who are no different than Braccus Rex?"

I pushed myself off the tree and crypt closer to him. He took a single step backward before I was merely inches away from him. I brought my burning gaze to his ember eyes.

"Tell me something. When you were still in your palace, indulging in your sexual fantasies with your concubines and demons, did you ever give the order to have your armies raid and pillage villages who did nothing to the Empire because there was a demand for more slaves?"

The Red Prince's eyes looked down, giving me the answer. I tightened my fists.

"I thought so."

I stepped away from him and looked to the horizon. The anger in me slowly built as I reflected on the Red Bastard's behavior over the course of the journey.

"What did you think would happen if you had introduced me to Sadha in the camp? Did you expect the presence of my leader and my love of dragons would make me forget my empathy for 'lesser species?'"

I shifted my right eye to see the Red Prince squeeze his eyes shut and turn his head away in shame again.

 _Typical._

"Let me tell you something."

I faced him with the stone face of anger I wore when he was under my foot.

"I am not stupid. I am not your slave. I am a person and I have a choice. My choice is to acknowledge the suffering the Empire has inflicted on the world with that damnable scar. I will stand against the nobles who revel in their sexual indulgences while their armies round up and take away the identity of the people they enslave."

I felt anger grow in my heart again. But I didn't let it take me over. I only stared at the less than grandiose lizard standing before me as he only replied with silence. There wasn't anything more to say to him. I turned away and walked back to where the others were waiting.

"Then the Dragon Knights have chosen well."

Once again, it was the voice of the Red Prince behind me that stopped me. I didn't turn my head to look at him, but he continued.

"Perhaps that's the reason they're still around while our Red Dragon ancestors died out."

Now I turned around. The Red Prince held his hands on his hips looking down at the ground in deep thought. After a moment, he looked at me. He turned around towards the cliff's edge and walked towards it, motioning me to follow him. I was very reluctant to follow him having told him I was not his slave a minute ago. But I eventually followed him to the edge of the cliff standing beside him. He took a moment before he sat down with his legs over the side of the cliff. Once again, I reluctantly followed his lead and sat beside him.

"When we first encountered Slane on the island, I was ecstatic to see a dragon in the flesh like you were. But once we retrieved the wand and he transformed into his lizard form I was… somewhat regretful."

"Because the Dragon Knights don't share the same values as the House of War?" I managed to temper my emotions to ask the question normally.

The Red Prince nodded.

"I've always had a… contrasting view of the Dragon Knights. Why would they give their powers to any person of any race and give their aid to beings they deemed to be 'in need'? But now I know why."

"Do you now?" I tilted my head. He took a deep breath.

"When I was exiled, I had no Empire. No servants. No guards. I had nothing."

"And you wanted to feel like you had something when you tried to make me your slave?" I asked with a stern voice.

"Yes," he said with a regretful tone. "When I realized I couldn't escape Fort Joy alone, I needed the aid of others who I couldn't control. So, I allowed you to gather a group of people to help me get off the island. When we discovered we were Godwoken, I was ecstatic that I could become a god in addition to becoming one with Sadha. Thus, I allowed myself to work alongside you to get what I wanted."

"To the point you deceived all of us and tried to manipulate me to distrust my friends?" I asked in the same stern voice.

"Yes," he sighed. I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes.

 _Why am I even listening to this bastard?_

I thought about leaving again but he continued.

"When Sadha was taken and you had the courage to stand up to me, I felt…vulnerable."

The last word hung in the air between us.

"The Red Prince admitting he's vulnerable," I snorted. "Who'd imagine such a thing was even possible?"

"Indeed," he said. "But my point is, you allowed yourself to connect to not just Ifan and Sebille, but those children too. Thus, when you learned of something that felt threatening to them, you stood up to me because you wanted to protect them."

Once again, my stone face started to crack.

"They gave you something that made you feel like something more. Thus, you feel the need to give something back to them. That's why you've renounced your allegiance to the Empire. You've found a new home here in Rivellon."

He brought his fingers to his chin and looked up to the sky.

"Perhaps that's why the Dragon Knights still persist while our red dragon ancestors died out. Because they opened themselves to not just lizards but all races, thus gaining their trust. If our red dragon ancestors had the same beliefs as the Empire, could the reason that they're not around be because the people of Rivellon feared them and they united to hunt the dragons down to protect themselves?"

My eyes widened slightly. I was rather amazed that the Red Prince of all people would be saying what he said. But it wasn't enough for me to express it in front of him.

"What are you trying to say?" asked sternly. "Are you trying to change your ways and become more like me?"

The Red Prince looked to the side and pondered before he responded.

"I'd say that's impossible," the Red Prince said. "I may learn a thing or two from you. Perhaps I have the capacity to change a few things about myself. But I'm not you and you're not me."

He looked directly at me.

"You have your connection to your friends. My connection is with Sadha. You may disagree with her, but she made her choice to be with me and unite the Houses. I will do anything to protect her and my unborn child. You have your family to protect and I have mine."

A part of me wasn't surprised by his response but another felt hopeful that he was learning something to connect with other people that were different than him. But his vague answer about what he wanted to change about himself left me irritated. There really wasn't anything more I could do at this point.

"I still don't like you," I said. The Red Prince winced and looked to the horizon again.

"But my parents are still within the Empire. They'll need someone to protect them from the Divine Order and the Voidwoken."

The Red Prince's gaze shot over to me in surprise.

"Don't worry, I won't destroy the Forbidden City when I become the next Divine. We'll find Sadha and your child and free them from the God King."

I stood up and looked down at him.

"I just hope you have the courage to use your new-found wisdom to make a true change for the better. I'd really hate to slaughter the forces of the Empire to protect innocent people from being made into slaves."

I turned around and started to make my way back to the road.

"Mahalia," the Red Prince said. Once again, I stopped but didn't turn my head to face him.

"Slane would be proud of you," he said. "You would be an excellent Dragon Knight."

I closed my eyes and stood in silence. When I opened my eyes, I nodded my head and made my way back to my friends.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So yeah…

I was going back and forth about how the Red Prince would be handled before chapter 34. Would he stay the course like in the game leading to that infamous line during the epilogue? Or would he have an actual character arc? I think it's clear which direction I went with because I felt if the Red Prince remained the same when the others learned of the prophecy, they'd reject him because of obvious reasons.

But anyway, there's my next interaction between Mahalia and the Red Prince. Did I do a good job?

BTW, I'm working on a small DOS2 spin-off. Stay tuned because that'll be coming out soon.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

It took us another thirty minutes to get to our first sign that we were getting close to the cave. It came in the form of a broken-down Magister cart. The Magisters were laying dead on the ground with several limbs strewn about.

"Mind investigating the crime scene, detective?" I said to Sebille with a courteous bow.

"Not at all," she replied with a smile and bow of her own.

She walked over to one of the severed legs and bit a chunk out of it. Once again, she swallowed and looked up. After a minute, her eyes returned to reality and she discarded the appendage.

"The Magisters were hauling a cargo of Sourcerers but were ambushed by a swarm of voidwoken. Not just the grubs that attacked us on the ship, but large flying ones. Poor sap lost his leg just as the monsters hauled him away."

"You mean the voidwoken took the Sourcerers alive?" the Red Prince asked.

"Looks that way," she replied.

"That's rather peculiar," the Red Prince stroked his chin.

"Any bets it has something to do with Mordus?" I asked.

"Possibly," Ifan said. "Lohar told me several Magister convoys were attacked by voidwoken. Even he suspects Mordus may be the cause of this."

"But what would he want with Sourcerers?" Sebelle wondered.

"From the way we're going, I have a feeling we're about to find out," I said. Ifan nodded in agreement. He pointed down a small path off the side of the road through a brush of trees.

"The path to the cave is down here."

Ifan went first with the rest of us close behind. After ten minutes traversing through the trees, we found ourselves in a winding labyrinth of cliffs. We made our way through the path for another five minutes. Eventually, we came to an opening that overlooked a cove down below. To the left, the path led down into a cave. The cave we presumed was where Lohar performed his smuggling operations.

Ifan turned to the rest of us.

"Ready?" he asked.

Sebille and Red Prince nodded. I took a deep breath and sighed, preparing myself for the horrors that awaited us. I nodded.

The interior was not what I expected. Granted the caves we explored so far were vast. But this one was the vastest. The cave floor sloped down to a large chamber that could fit at least five Lady Vengeances. All around were pieces of ships, some used as makeshift bridges over chasms leading to an underground river.

Of course, we wouldn't be here if it didn't have a disturbing element to it. That took the form of piles of bodies littering the sloped path leading to the wreckages. As you could imagine, the smell was almost as bad as the one when we encountered Redeka.

"The things we'll do for Divinity," Sebille coughed.

I grunted and nodded. If only I knew a spell that could clear the air. We descended the slope, passing by several piles of corpses along the way. The majority were humans and dwarves with a handful of elves and lizards. We saw several source collars laying on the ground or still attached to the necks of some corpses. What could the Voidwoken or Mordus be up to?

We came to a piece of a ship that was used as a bridge over a chasm. One by one, we crossed the makeshift bridge to find ourselves in a wide-open part of the cave with sand under our feet. At the edge was a cliff overlooking something. We treaded over the sand to the cliff edge and kneeled. We looked to see a collection of pieces of ships mangled together in the chamber below us. We saw several scattered fires illuminating figures through the fog between us and the bottom. Ifan pulled out his spyglass to get a closer look.

"Can you make out anything?" I asked.

"Barely," Ifan said. "There are dwarves down there. I reckon they're Mordus's cronies."

"Question is, how do we get down there?" Sebille remarked.

It did make me think. I could unfurl my wings and float down there. But the distance to cover and the fog would make it difficult for me to go back and forth between here and there to transport everyone. I looked over at my right to see a broken, but still relatively intact hull of a ship lodged into the cave wall.

"Have an idea?" Ifan asked.

"Maybe," I said. "Let's look around to see if we can find some rope."

Ifan smiled figuring out what my plan was. We stood up and turned around to begin our sear-

"EYES UP!"

The shout from Ifan and the rustle of the sand around us caused me to reach for my wand. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. I felt something sharp lodge into the back of my neck. It felt like a dart of some kind. A dart that was filled with a paralyzing venom. I felt the venom creep into my bloodstream and flow to every corner of my body. The only thing I could move was my eyes. I looked around as I saw a trio of large insects with wings descend on my companions. But I didn't see what became of them because a sticky web came over my eyes and my entire body. All I remembered afterwards was my body being lifted by nightmarish legs before my consciousness faded away.

* * *

I coughed myself awake. Globs of sticky goo were expelled from my mouth clearing the way for clean air to enter me. I felt my senses return to my body. The venom had worn off. But thought I could feel my body again, I couldn't move it. I tried opening my eyes, but I couldn't do that either. I couldn't see. It could only mean one thing: I was in a large spider web. Or the voidwoken equivalent of one. I felt myself get nervous. But thanks to my experience fighting monsters over the past few days, I managed to calm myself and think about my options.

I couldn't move my hands thus I couldn't cast spells with them. But my mouth was clear. I inhaled a large breath and felt the fire in my heart stir. I exhaled and felt the fire envelop the area around my head. When it ended, I felt my head free itself and the goo around my eyes melted away. I opened my eyes but suddenly wish that I didn't. I saw myself suspended against a wall in a large cave chamber. A chamber lined with bloody puss, corpses of Sourcerers and large eggs. Voidwoken eggs.

It was a gods damn birthing chamber! And it looked like I was to be this clutch's first meal once they hatched. I wiggled my body, unable to free myself. It looked like the only other way to free myself would be to use my fire breath again dangerously close against my body. But the problem was the fire in my heart was still building up. It would still be a few seconds before I would be able to do it again. Of course, I wouldn't have a problem waiting a few more seconds if it weren't for the cracking sound I heard. I looked over at one of the eggs. It cracked.

"SHIT!"

The shell broke open and a newborn grub voidwoken emerged. I held my breath seeing the abomination wiggle on the floor gaining its bearings. But it wasn't long before it turned its ugly insect eyes towards me. I groaned. It lurched across the floor towards me, hungry for its first meal. When it was close enough, it reared back and readied itself to leap onto me and feast on my insides. But I was prepared and unleashed my frost breath onto the creature. When my breath ended, I saw the monster frozen solid. Its antennae fell off along with the rest of the segments of its body.

 _Whew. That was close._

But I thought too soon. The four eggs next to the one that hatched started to crack at the same time.

"Oh, come on!" I shouted in equal parts frustration and fear. My fire breath still wasn't ready. All four eggs opened and four newborn voidwoken emerged with their sights on me. I gritted my teeth I wiggled my body hard.

 _Not like this! Not like this! Not like-_

BAM!

I looked up to see a ball of lightning hit one of the larvae. All four of them turned their attention to another corner of the chamber.

"Oy! Over here you ugly cretins. You should work for ya meals!"

Standing there was a dwarven man with a thick braded beard, an eye patch and a sailor's hat. He held an axe in his right hand and a wand in his left. It looked like he was a battlemage based on his stance.

His distraction worked out for me. I felt the fire in my heart ready to be unleashed. I leaned my head down and inhaled. The fire flowed out of my mouth, grazing the web holding my body. The web melted, causing my body to fall off the wall onto the floor. I noticed my wand and shield were still on me.

 _Thank the gods._

I drew both just as two of the hatchlings started to crawl towards me. I took my stance. When they were about to strike with their mandibles, I unleashed my Blinding Radiance. Both monsters reared back, disoriented. With them stunned, I reached into their air and unleashed a Hail Strike. Both grubs froze and fell apart before me. When I looked over at the dwarf, he had dealt with the other two that came his way. He put his weapons away and hobbled towards me.

"You alright there, lass?" he asked. "I heard ya yellin' so I decided to make a detour."

"Yes, thank you," I said with a smile of gratitude. "Not a moment later and I would have been bug chow."

"You're lucky to be exploring this cave the same day I am," he said with a cheerful grin.

"You one of Lohar's people?" I asked him.

"No," he replied.

My brows shot up.

"Then what are you doing here?"

The dwarf looked away with his hands on his hips.

"Let's just say I'm looking for something and this cave has one of the breadcrumbs leading to where I need to go next."

Much like my reason for being here. Suddenly I jumped, looking franticly around me.

"What is it?" the Dwarf asked startled from my movement.

"I didn't come in here alone," I said. "There were three others with me."

"Ah!" his eye widened. "No doubt taken to other birthing chambers I suspect."

"Do you mind being my partner until I find them?" I asked him. He looked around him for a moment.

"Best to have a partner especially in a place like this," he said.

"Thank you," I said. "I'm Mahalia, by the way."

The dwarf was hesitant to respond for a moment.

"You can call me Beast," he said.

I raised my brows.

 _A rather piacular nickname. Wonder what his real name is?_

But I dropped my suspicion and held out my hand.

"Alright Beast. Partners?"

His grin returned to his face as he hobbled over and shook my hand.

"Partners," he said.

I looked around the chamber.

"How'd you get in here?" I asked.

Beast pointed behind him at a hole in the ceiling against the wall.

"I slide through there to get to ya. But it looks like we won't be able to get out that way. The wall's too slippery to climb."

 _There must be another way out of here._

I looked around the chamber. Passed the corpses and already hatched eggs, I saw something on the other side.

"There," I pointed. I walked towards it and Beast followed me. There was an opening in the wall that looked to lead to a way out. But when we arrived, we saw the opening dropping into a chasm that descended to the darkest depths. Across the chasm was another opening in the cave wall. Beast stepped in front of me, standing at the edge looking up at the rocks coating the walls and ceiling.

"Well that's a downer," he said. "I don't see any rock above to use my grappling hook to swing across on."

I smiled.

"Well if you don't mind being picked up, I have another solution."

"Are you suggesting that you want to-"

He turned around. Before he could finish his sentence with what I assumed would be "toss me", I unfurled my wings. His eye was wide open. I smiled.

"I don't mind being picked up in this instance," he said. He turned his back on me. "Ready when you are."

I walked up to him and kneeled, putting my arms under his armpits. When I had a firm grip, I picked him up and leapt over the chasm. I flapped my wings three times and glided to the other side. Landing gracefully and placing the Dwarf onto the ground, I retracted my wings afterwards.

"Whew," Beast said catching his breath. "I'm used to the sway of the sea. But for some reason I still get woozy from flying."

I cracked a smile.

"It's understandable. One of my partners isn't fond of flying either."

He smiled and composed himself. We both looked to the tunnel. I took a deep breath.

"I'll go first," I said.

"Lead the way," he said with a bow and gesture of his hand.

The tunnel turned left and led into a maze of forks in the roads along with underground rivers and pools. We traversed the tunnels, u-turning at dead ends and backtracking to the forks until we came to a vast opening in the cave. We crept up to a pair of barrels standing at the edge of a small cliff. We peaked over them to see a camp set up on the level below. We saw three dwarves sitting around a campfire in the center. At the opposite side of the camp was a large wooden gate. Beyond it was a small corner of the cave. On the walls, I could see the outline of the same bloody puss that coated the birthing chamber I woke up in.

"I think at least one of my partners may be on the other side of that camp," I whispered to Beast. He narrowed his eye on the three guards in the camp.

"You want to go quiet or loud?" he asked. "I'm fine with either."

Despite my size making it a problem to sneak by, I wanted to avoid conflict as much as possible until I found my partners.

"Let's go quiet," I said. He nodded. Slowly and softly, we crept down the slope to the bottom of the chamber. We quietly approached the camp and hid behind a stack of crates. Because the Dwarf was… well, a dwarf, he was already concealed behind the crates. Meanwhile, I had to crawl on all fours and tuck my tail in to avoid the guards' attention.

He tiptoed to a set of barrels and I followed him when the eyes of the guards were away. We were halfway across the camp now. The dwarf held up his hand, waiting for the moment to slip by. As he waited, I peaked over the barrel. The three dwarven guards sat around the fire. But an unsettling feeling set in when I observed their behavior. One dwarf with his back to us sat on a stool with his hands pressed his ears. I heard him mumble to himself.

"I can't hear nothing. Nothing but that voice. It won't stop. It never stops…"

It was then I observed the two other dwarves. When I looked closer at their eyes, I saw they were oily black. They were like Silent Monks only without the black hew around their mouths and eyes. It had to be some sort of mind control spell.

"HELLO?!"

I heard a familiar voice from the chamber behind the gate.

"Ifan," I whispered.

Unfortunately, the shoat caused me to twitch and accidently bump into the barrels. A bottle on top of it fell off and broke on the ground. I gasped and gritted my teeth. I looked over the top and as I feared, six oily black eyes were facing our direction.

"Time to go loud!" Beast shouted drawing his wand and axe. He charged in towards the nearest one who bore an axe of his own. Meanwhile, I drew my wand and shield and set my sights on the spellcaster and archer who had their sights on Beast.

I immediately unleashed a Winter Blast on the two, causing them to stagger. I unfurled my wings and launched into the air to close the distance. With them chilled, I inhaled and unleashed my frost breath. When I landed and closed my maw, I saw both guards frozen solid. A second later, they fell apart into a hundred pieces. I looked over and saw the third guard was dealt with by Beast. With the immediate threat dealt with, my sights focused on the gate.

"IFAN!" I cried out.

"MAHALIA?!" I heard him shoat. "I NEED HELP! QUICK!"

I ran as fast as I could towards the gate. I grabbed the handle and tired pulling it.

"IT'S LOCKED!"

I franticly looked around to see if there was another way in.

"HERE!"

I turned around to see Beast toss something at me. I caught it and saw it was a key. I hastily put it into the lock and turned it. A click.

 _YES!_

I burst through the gates to find myself in the second birthing chamber. In the center, I saw a wolf wrestling with a new larva.

 _Afrit!_

I looked to my right to see three eggs hatch near the tangled web embedded against the wall. In the web, I saw Ifan's face.

"MAHALIA!" he shouted.

Thinking quickly, I unfurled my wings and launched into the air. I landed right in front of him as two of the three larva closed in. I inhaled and unleashed my fire breath. Both larvae withered in the flames. The third one was out of range and crawled around the trail of fire I left. But Beast took his opportunity and dealt with the monster swiftly. I saw that Afrit had taken down his opponent as well. I turned around to see Ifan's face smile with relief. I did too.

"Hold still," I said. I held my wand near the web. I tightened my grip and focused my mind. The crystal at the tip emanated flames like a torch. Carefully, I ran the tip over the outline of Ifan's body. Ifan grimaced from the heat. When I reached the bottom, Ifan's body dislodged itself from the web. He landed onto the ground and I helped him up. I brushed off the remaining globs of web still stuck on his tunic.

"Thanks, Mahalia," Ifan said with a smile. "Seems you're always the one saving my ass. Is this the third time now?"

I recalled the times. I dug him out of the debris and pushed him out of the way from the tentacle on the prison ship. But he kept me from falling during the battle at the Black Pits. So, I guess the score was two for me.

"Oh. Am I intruding on something?"

Both of us looked over at Beast. He stood with his arms crossed and wore a smug grin that could belong to Sebille. Ifan and I looked at each other before taking a step back. I felt my cheeks flush.

"Ifan," I held my hand out to Beast. "I'd like you to meet Beast. The one who got me out of my sticky situation."

Ifan walked over to him and shook his hand.

"Ifan Ben-Mezd," he introduced himself. "Thank you for helping us out."

"Of course," he said. He then gave an inquisitive gaze with his eye. "Ben-Mezd? You mean the Lone Wol-"

SKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEE!

We all looked up when a disturbing sound pierced our ears. From holes in the walls, two horrid winged creatures emerged and flew down towards us.

"SPREAD OUT!" Ifan shouted.

We dispersed just as the pair of monsters landed onto the ground. I faced the monsters with my wand and shield at the ready. One of the monsters turned its head towards me and hissed. Its skin was pale and had a balled humanlike head. But it had no eyes and its teeth were sharp with two extra-long fangs. I couldn't be sure, but I assumed these were some sort of vampiric voidwoken. The monster started to crawl towards me while the other crawled towards Ifan. I unleashed my fire breath towards the one headed towards me. But it leapt to the side and flew into the air. It moved through the air and crawled across the walls with grace. I tried to throw some fireballs from my wand, but the projectiles were too slow to hit.

On the other side, Ifan and the dwarf weren't doing much better. The monster dodged every arrow and lightning projectile thrown at it. They were way too fast and kept their distance. The one I faced suddenly swooped in towards me. I couldn't fire another fireball and instead raised my shield. The monster collided and forced me onto my back. It was on top of me, pinning me to the ground. It lurched its razor-sharp teeth over the top of my shield towards my neck. I snapped my head left and right, keeping my flesh out of reach. I couldn't inhale deep enough to unleash a fire attack. I tried flicking a fireball with my wand but couldn't get an angle on it.

 _Shit! Shit! Shit!_

But I suddenly felt something flicker in my mind. An image of sorts. Though I couldn't picture it, I felt it. I felt the red gem in my amulet glow. Then I felt the crystal of my wand glow too. My eyes widened. A solution had presented itself to me. I knew what to do. I whipped my wand in a fluid motion. Suddenly, a flash of fire appeared on the side of the monster. It screeched in pain and leapt off me. I immediately twisted myself to my feet. The monster crawled on all fours and faced me down, hissing angerly. I noticed a burn mark on its hindleg.

I looked at my wand. My eyes widened when I saw something hanging out of the crystal at the tip. It was a long, lightweight chain enveloped in fire.

 _A Flame Whip._

I knew of the spell where casters could summon a whip of fire against enemies at close range. The wand I found in the chest must have had this as an innate function. And it must have been unlocked by my amulet. I snapped my eyes to the monster. It charged at me. With a swift and fluid motion, I flicked my wrist and the whip swung up. The monster tried to get out of the way, but the whip was too fast. The tip lashed across the monster's head. It writhed in pain as another burn was scorched into where the eyes would be. I twisted my hand back and the whip hit it again. I felt the retheme of the weapon as I continued to hit the monster again and again. The wounded monster reared on its hindlegs, exposing its chest. The tip of the whip dug into its flesh, leaving a deep and scorched gash in its belly. I suddenly had an idea. With a flick of my wrist, the whip dissipated. I aimed my wand at the creature and spoke the words. A lightning strike surged from my wand into the monster's chest through the gash. The monster jolted. The gash suddenly grew, and the monster's innards plopped out of its body. The monster fell to the ground lifeless.

 _Whew. One down._

I looked to see Ifan had managed to put one arrow into the second monster. But it was still scurrying about. Its back was to me ready to charge Ifan and Beast. I crept up behind the monster. Just as it was about to lung towards Ifan and Beast, I flicked my wrist and the whip ignited. The whip extended to full length and wrapped around the monster's neck. The monster stopped, bringing its claws to the whip around his neck. It screamed as the hot chain burned into its flesh. As I held the monster in place, I felt the fire in my heart grow. With a thought, the fire flowed through my arm into the wand and into the whip. The whip glowed brighter and the fire burned hotter. The screams of the monster grew but then transformed into a gargling sound. It's arms and body went limp. I pulled back on the whip hard. The head of the monster twisted and was cleaved clean off its shoulders. The head landed first before the body flopped to the ground dead. I twisted my wrist and the whip disappeared. I looked over at Ifan and Beast. As I expected, all three of their eyes were wide and looking at me.

"When did you learn to do that?" Ifan asked.

I looked down at my amulet and my wand.

"Just now," I said. "Seems the amulet and wand are connected. I somehow learned to do that trick while under pressure."

Beast whistled.

"That was mighty impressive," he said. "It'll defiantly be useful against the other bugs we're gonna face in this hell hole."

I glanced at my wand again and grinned. But the grin disappeared.

"We'd better hurry. We've got to save the others."

Ifan's eyes sparked. He nodded and pointed to an opening in the chamber on the other side.

"Let's get going," he said.

Without another word the three of us took off into the tunnel.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I haven't played the game with Beast but I did watch a synopsis of his story arc and I figured his storyline could be useful for my story without him being part of the main quest.

Also, my spin-off story, The Life-Shaper, is up if you want to read that:

s/13480619/1/The-Life-Shaper

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

"Are you two deaf?! Release me from this horrid prison at once!"

When he came to, the Red Prince found himself in a web stuck against the wooden wall of the aft section of a ship. When he looked around, he saw several pieces of ships stacked around into an almost maze of wood. But when he looked right in front of him, he saw three voidwoken eggs as well as two dwarven women staring blankly ahead with their black eyes. He shouted at them, but they paid him no mind.

Thankfully, help had arrived before things got too ugly. An arrow flew into the dwarf on the right. When the one on the left reacted, a trio of icicles hit her and exploded. She was frozen solid. Then a ball of lighting hit her, and she fell to pieces.

I flew down and landed in front of the Red Prince. I immediately inhaled and torched the eggs before they had a chance to hatch. Afterwards, I turned around and freed the Red Prince from his sticky prison with the same wand torch trick I used to free Ifan. He got to his feet and started to scrub off the bits of web clinging to his armor.

"Don't worry," I said. "I'm pretty sure everything will come off with a washdown."

The Red Prince snorted with amusement. He looked up to see Ifan and Beast.

"Mind telling me why you have a dwarf with you?"

"That's Beast. He got me out of my web prison. He's offered to help us find what we're looking for while he finds his."

"Ah," the Red Prince acknowledged. "I'm starting to understand the value of allies from different places."

My brows surged hearing him say that. But I shrugged the feeling off.

"We've got to get going if we're going to find Sebille before she's turned into bug chow."

"No time to lose then is there?" he said. I unfurled my wings and took hold of him. We launched up and landed on the deck of the ship Ifan and Beast were on. I took a moment to catch my breath with the Red Prince being the heaviest in our party. When I recovered, Ifan pointed down to another opening in the cave past the vertical maze of ship scraps. We traversed the maze until we made it and followed the winding tunnel to wherever it led.

Eventually, the tunnel opened to another breeding chamber. Like before, there were eaten corpses on the floor, a cluster of three eggs and a living person stuck to a wall in a web. Immediately, ran over to the trio of eggs and ignited them before they hatched. All three of them popped and the embryos burned to a crisp. With that problem dealt with, I turned around to Sebille.

"Sebille," I tapped her head. She moaned and lazily opened her eyes. Once her consciousness returned, her eyes widened when she recognized me.

"Mahalia?" she said in a tired whisper.

"It's okay," I said. "Hold still."

I pulled away and did my wand torch trick again. The web melted and she plopped out while Ifan caught her.

"You okay?" Ifan asked her.

She planted her feet and moved out of his arms. She looked at both of us.

"Better knowing you two are still alive and together."

She looked over at me with her teasing smile.

"She's fine," I said with a grin. Ifan grinned too.

Sebille looked over at the Red Prince and Beast.

"Who's our new partner?" she asked.

Beast opened his mouth. But before he could introduce himself, we heard a click. From the other side of the chamber, there was another wooden gate leading to another wrecked ship embedded into the cave wall. It slowly started to open.

Ifan motioned his hand down. We each kneeled and scurried behind the nearest hiding spot. Once hidden, I peeked from behind my hiding spot. Standing in the middle of the open gate was a dwarven woman holding something in her hands. Behind her, the wreck of the ship was converted into what looked to be a laboratory of sorts. She must have been a scientist of sorts. But for what?

She walked across the cave floor holding the thing in her hands slowly and carefully. She walked nearly two-thirds across the chamber to the tunnel before something completely unexpected happened.

"Don't move!"

The dwarf stopped in her tracks. Ifan walked out from his hiding spot with his crossbow aimed directly at the back of her head. He walked slowly toward her.

"Turn around," he said.

The scientist did as he said. The rest of us walked out from our hiding spots. When I looked at the scientist, she didn't look afraid. She was surprised, but her face didn't display an ounce of fear. Ifan kept his finger on the trigger as he took the thing she was holding away in his other hand.

"Hold her!" Ifan commanded. The Red Prince walked behind the scientist and held both of her hands behind her with his strong arms.

"Careful, scaley," she said as she was forced to her knees. "I'll need to have my hands functioning properly if I'm to keep doing my work."

"Quiet!"

Ifan's shout startled me. When I looked at him, he holstered his weapon and held his eyes on the little device he took from her. He didn't move a muscle. I stepped next to him.

"What's wrong?"

I looked up at me. His entire face was pale. His eyes were wide. It was like he had seen a ghost.

"This…" he shook the device in his hand. "This was the device I was given to transport the elves to safety before I left the Order."

"Transport elves?" the scientist said with a rather unsettling laugh. "Ha. That thing doesn't transport living beings. It only transports one thing."

The silence that followed gave me a very bad feeling.

"And that is…?" I said very afraid of what she was going to say. She responded plainly.

"Deathfog."

My own eyes grew wide and I felt my cold blood freeze. I brought my hand to my lips in horror. If that was the device Ifan was given. Then…

 _Oh no…_

"You're lying!"

My attention snapped to Ifan shouting at the scientist. His pale face was replaced with a flustered one.

"Why would I lie?" she replied with a grin. "I've no reason to. Go ahead and read the research notes at my desk if you want."

We looked behind us at her laboratory. But Ifan didn't move. Instead, he looked at the device in his hand. His hand and his entire body shook. He gritted his teeth so hard I thought his jaw would snap.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

He pulled his hand back and smashed the device into the ground. The next moment, Ifan was holding a small knife to her throat.

"I wouldn't go there if I were you."

Her demeanor was unchanged even with the knife to her throat.

"I work directly for Queen Justina… and she doesn't take kindly to meddlers."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Beast take a step closer. I was sure that the name of the Dwarven Queen was what piqued his interest. The scientist continued.

"If you want to harass somebody worthwhile, why don't you bother Hannag?"

Now the rest of us moved toward her.

"Hannag?" I said in a haunted whisper.

"Of course," the scientist replied. "She was the designer of that device after all. She should be coming back from her trip to the ruins in Closterwood any time now."

Once again, we were petrified. Things had gotten a lot more complicated. Ifan's hand shook. Eventually he pulled the knife away from the scientist's throat. He turned around and stomped his feet several paces away. He held his fists by his sides and stared at the ground. I walked up to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off and looked at me with two blazing eyes. His anger rolled off him in waves.

"Just give me a minute! Seven be damned!"

He looked away and stomped to the nearest wall. He punched the stone wall three times, screaming every hit. After the third, he kept his fist against the wall until he slouched to his knees. He squeezed his eyes shut and propped his head against the rock. After the revelation we had, I understood why he was so angry.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?!"

I looked over to see Beast was getting his turn at being angry with the scientist. I wanted to comfort Ifan, but my instincts told me to listen to what was happening between the dwarves. I walked over to them.

"I told you, I only work on the transportation part of the plan. Only Mordus and the Queen herself know where it's headed."

Beast clenched his fists. It looked like whatever answers he wanted weren't going to come from this scientist.

"Well if Mordus is the only one who knows, then you'll be the one to bring us to him."

He looked over at Sebille.

"Get some rope and tie her up."

Sebille grinned and turned around. She entered the wrecked ship-turned-laboratory and ten seconds later, she came back with a line of rope in hand. The Red Prince let go and Sebille wasted no time binding the scientist's hands behind her.

Ifan walked up next to me. His eyes were wet.

"Ifan-"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," he cut me off. "Let's just find Mordus and get out of this place first."

He held his hands on his hips and bent his head down. I truly felt bad and wanted to comfort him. But he was right; we needed to find Mordus and get out of this voidwoken infested cave as soon as possible.

"Alright," I said. I looked over at the scientist. I walked over and kneeled to her level.

"Bring us to Mordus and we'll cut you free."

The scientist rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Oh, very well," she said. "I didn't like him that much anyway."

With her hands tied, she hobbled in front of us while we followed her out of the chamber. She led us through the tunnels. All the while we followed her, all I could think about was what Ifan was feeling. The device he was given by Lucian to evacuate the elves wasn't that device he was given at all. Instead he was given the tool that set off the Deathfog? I couldn't imagine the guilt in him. Not even my guilt of my ignorance of slavery could compare to the torment someone would endure when they learned they were the one who unintentionally killed their family.

But the other thing that caught my mind was the circumstance. If Ifan was given the Deathfog delivery device, did that mean Lucian the Divine lied to him and wanted the elves to die? That didn't sound like the Lucian I knew of. Lucian was a renowned and virtuous person. Protecting the realm from injustice and making peace whenever possible. But if he did in fact lie to Ifan, then he had intentionally committed genocide against the elves to defeat the Black Ring quicker. It was a very shocking revelation. But my thoughts on it would have to wait.

The scientist led us to a corner of the cave where a ladder stood leading up into the hull of a ship above us. At the top was a hatch that lead to what looked to be the deck of it.

"He's just up there," the scientist said. "Just go up and you'll find him in the center of the ship cluster. Now please, cut me loose."

"Not yet," Beast said. He looked over at us. "Go up there and check."

Sebille took a step forward.

"How will I know when I see him?" she asked the scientist.

"He's very hard to miss," she said. "He'll be the one without the black eyes."

"Well if I need to see his eyes, I'll need an extra one."

Sebille held up her hand to Ifan. He pulled out his spyglass and gave it to her. She smiled in thanks before effortlessly climbing up the ladder. She quietly opened the hatch and pulled herself out. We waited without a word for two minutes before she returned looking down at us from the top. She brought her finger to her mouth and nodded her head.

Beast immediately came to the scientist and cut the ropes binding her.

"Alright girly, get out of here."

"Gladly," she said. She hobbled back through the tunnels without another word.

One by one, we climbed the ladder to the top. I was the last one to climb. When I reached the top, I kept my head down as everyone else did. Sebille gave Ifan his spyglass back and crept over to the edge of the wreaked ship's bow. All five of us peeked over the guardrail of the ship.

Several meters away was the collection of ships we saw just before we were abducted by the voidwoken. Now, we could see clearly without fog to obscure our view. We looked to see the figures we saw above much more clearly. Like the guards we've seen below in the birthing chambers, they all had the same oily black eyes. The only person who didn't have the black eyes was the one who didn't have eyes at all. In the middle was an undead dwarf with black bones. When he spoke, we couldn't make out his words. But we did hear he had the voice of an arrogant weasel as humans would describe it. That had to be Mordus.

"How in the blazes is that boney bastard able to control these dwarves?" Beast whispered.

I racked my brain to recall my studies.

"It has to be… _Mord'Akaim_."

" _Mord'A_ -what?" Beast whispered looking at me.

I ducked down from the railing and the others did to.

" _Mord'Akaim._ A terrible blood magic that's only possible with unnatural amounts of Source."

Everyone looked at each other.

"I suppose we figured out why the voidwoken rounded up the sourcerers other than to feed them to their babies," Sebille said.

"Guess so," Ifan said.

Beast peaked over the railing again.

"If they're being mind-controlled, perhaps killing Mordus will free them."

I was initially hopeful. But then I remembered further details of _Mord'Akaim._ I sighed.

"That won't work. _Mord'Akaim_ is a blood magic and it's fatal to those it's used on. Once the half of the army it's used on destroys the other half, the remaining minds deteriorate when the connection is ended."

"Damn," Beast exclaimed softly.

"And even if it didn't, we still need him alive," Sebille said.

That was true. We needed him to expand our source while Beast needed to know where a shipment of deathfog was headed to. I sighed at our no-good-choice situation.

"So, what do we do?" Beast asked.

I peeked over the railing and observed the positions of the controlled dwarves. Mordus and two others were in a large pit while five other thralls were standing on the level above. With the layout in my head I crawled back to the others. I huddled everyone together. I used my nail and carved a circle into the wood floor. Then, I carved Xs around and inside the circle to mark our targets. Next, with the help of Ifan, we decided the order of how each one would be taken care of. With the plan set, we dispersed. Ifan and the Red Prince went left, Sebille and Beast went right. I went down the center. I descended the incline into the pit.

"Mordus!" I shouted.

Every oily black eye and empty eye socket turned to me. All part of the plan.

"Well, well," the black skeleton said with his weasel-like voice. "Seems one of our recent catches managed to get out of her hole."

"Where are my colleges?!" I put in a distraught flavor into my persona. "What did you do to them?"

"Why…what happens to every rotten maggot who is collected by my pets. They're taken to be fed to their babies."

I kept my gaze on the sniveling skeleton while making subtle movements in my face to sell my performance.

"Why are you doing this? Why have you turned your back on Lohar?!"

"Ah, so you are one of his lackies, after all. Never thought a Lizard would be working for him. Tell me, has he sent you to beg forgiveness for his sins?"

I could see in the corner of my eye that my colleges had taken out at least half of the sentries up top. Only two more up there and two more down here. I still had to run his mouth just a little longer.

"Answer the question!" I shouted.

"Why…to appease my lord of course."

"Lord?"

"Yes. He had faith. He came to me when Lohar failed the Queen. And as a reward for my service, he has granted me his favor. He has granted me _Mord'Akaim_."

As I suspected.

" _Mord'Akaim_? You mean the forbidden blood magic with the power to decimate armies?"

"Hehehehe," he laughed. "Armies? Merely sheep with swords. Minds that beg to be controlled. But _Mord'Akaim_ is so much more than the power to have those beasts slaughter each other. And it is mine. By my Lord's grace, the power is mine!"

He raised his wand towards me.

"And it is with this power that I will-"

Before he could finish his sentence, an arrow landed into the eye of the guard on his left. Mordus's head turned to the left just as a nimble elf landed on top of the guard on his right, slitting her throat. Before Mordus could react, a heavy, scaly foot landed on his head forcing him to the ground face first. The Red Prince grabbed his left arm and stretched it out. With all his strength, he brought his fist down into Mordus's ulna. With a loud crack, the undead skeleton screamed. The Red Prince let go of Mordus arm and stood up. Mordus sat up and clasped his broken arm with his other hand. When he looked up, he had five different weapons pointed at him. We moved closer and the undead dwarf scurried across the ground until his back was against the wall. He squealed in pain and fear.

"Please – no – mercy! Mercy!"

He raised his unhurt arm in a feeble attempt to defend himself.

 _Pathetic._

"We won't kill you," I said. The skeleton peaked through his bony arm at me. "But we need some things from you."

He brought his arms down and looked to his sides. It was as if he was paranoid about someone watching him. Perhaps the "Lord" he was talking about.

"Of course, of course!" he blurted desperately. "Anything, just name it."

I looked over at Beast. I nodded my head and he stepped forward.

"What were you doing here?" he asked. "What is your deal with Lohar?"

Mordus put his eyeless gaze on Beast. Though he didn't have eyes, I could read he was making a face of recognition.

"You're…you're Markus. Markus Miles. You're…"

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Beast shouted.

 _Markus Miles? Why does that name sound familiar?_

"L-Lohar runs the smuggling operation here," Mordus said. "One day, his crew came across a Magister ship filled with Deathfog. He wanted it destroyed. The greatest weapon Rivellon has ever seen lands in his lap and he ordered the barrels thrown into the ocean! We couldn't let it happen. We needed it. So, I- I took control."

"Via _Mord'Akaim_?" I chimed in.

"Y-yes," Mordus said. "It was a gift from-"

He stopped himself and looked around him.

"It was a gift."

"From who?! Tell me!" Beast leaned his face closer.

"I-I can't. He'll hear. He'll know. He'll find me. He'll come."

I placed my hand on Beast's shoulder. He looked up at me.

"It's okay, we already know who he's working for."

Mordus held his breath. Or whatever the undead equivalent was since he had no lungs to breath into.

"We'll tell you when we're done with him," I said.

Beast took a moment then nodded his head. Mordus's bony body relaxed. But he tensed again as Beast grabbed him by the collarbone and brought his face into his bony one.

"Where did the Deathfog go?!"

Mordus panted in panic.

"A-Arx!" he squealed. "They were sent to Arx."

Every one of our eyes grew larger. A shipment of Deathfog was being smuggled into the grand city of the Divine?

"Why?! What does Queen Jestina plan to do with it in Arx?!" Beast roared.

"I don't know! All I know is she needed the most powerful weapon in Rivellon and I gave it to her."

Beast stared at the empty sockets of the weasel.

"Sick bastard!"

He released him and stood up. He turned around and took several paces past us and stopped. While he stared at the floor, the four of us looked down at the cowering skeleton. He raised his hand again.

"I-I don't have anything else to tell you. Please don't kill me!"

Though he disgusted me, I remembered why we came here in the first place.

"Well it's your lucky day you little creep. We're not here to kill you."

"T-then what do you want?"

"To expand our source."

Mordus became still. He slowly lowered his arm.

"What? Source? I-…"

He slowly stood up, clasping his broken arm. He looked all four of us up and down.

"Of Course! You're Godwoken. You seek power. Ultimate power. Yes. I can teach you. But only if you swear you won't banish me to the afterlife."

We looked at each other. I could tell that Ifan and Sebille had some reservations about letting this weasel go. But they all nodded their heads. It was decided. I brought my hand up and flattened my palm.

"We promise we won't kill you."

"Praise be." Mordus said relieved. "Listen carefully. Source and Void – day and night – love and hate – one is meaningless without the other. To grow your Source, to achieve your potential, you must embrace the Void."

He took his unhurt arm and reached into the folds of his robes. He pulled out a black mass. As he held it up to us, I could see it was covered with veins and oozing puss.

"The finest meal you'll find in this cave. The heart of a Voidwoken,"

I puckered my lips and grimaced. We had to eat that?

 _Do not fear. Do what must be done._

I shifted my eyes to my ear. Zorl-stissa was speaking to me again. She wanted me to suck it up and eat. I looked at the others. From the looks on their faces, their gods told them the same thing. I closed my eyes and sighed. Slowly, I took the disgusting glob out of the undead's hand. I held my breath it dripped drops of puss onto my hand. I groaned.

"Sebille? If you would?"

"Sure."

She walked over and drew her dagger. I handed her the heart and she got to work cutting it into quarters. With two slices of the blade, streams of the puss dripped out onto her palm. But she didn't seem as repulsed by it as we were. After all, she did eat body parts for a living. Once it was finished, she held out the four pieces of the heart in her hand. All four of us took one piece. I still held my breath because I feared even smelling the faintest whiff would cause me to cough up my breakfast.

"Beast? Keep your eye on our friend while we do what we need to do."

"No problem."

Beast hobbled over and put his only eye on Mordus.

"To Divinity," Sebille held up her piece as if proposing a toast.

"To Divinity."

We brought our pieces together before pulling them back. I tilted my head up and plopped the whole thing into my open mouth. I hoped to swallow it whole. But when I closed my mouth, my mouth gaged causing the heart to move to my back teeth. They torn through the tissue and the puss exploded everywhere in my mouth. The taste was horrible; how could you expect anything different? My body coughed and gagged, reactively wanting to get this awful thing out. But my lips stayed shut as I forced myself to chew. Every chomp was aggravating. But eventually, I reared my head back and the gritty flesh slid through the puss lining my mouth and down my throat. I felt it slide all the way down into my stomach. What followed was a revolting but at the same time incredible feeling. I felt an energy growing in my stomach. I felt it surge from my stomach and flow into my heart. Like every other time, I felt another chamber open. Even more capacity to store source within me.

But when the incredible feeling ended, what remained was the revolting feeling. I felt the leftovers of the heart in my stomach and mouth. Even with my renewed vigor and confidence, it still wasn't enough for my bodily functions to endure it. I found myself on my knees panting looking at a pile of vomit on the ground in front of me. When I looked over at the others, they were the same. I brought my shacking hand to my water sack. I squirted a swig into my mouth and swished the water, cleaning the inside before spitting it out. Afterwards, I drank a several gulps to clean my throat. With my legs shaking, I stood up. One by one, everyone else followed my lead. I turned to see Mordus didn't move at all.

"There, I held up my end of the bargain," he said. "I did as you asked, and now I'm getting as far from this cave as my bones will take m-."

A wood bucket suddenly appeared over his head followed by a loud whack against it. Mordus stumbled then fell to the ground unconscious. Standing behind him with his ax drawn was Beast.

"Don't worry. None of us will kill ya now," he said to the unconscious skeleton. "I'll just take you to Lohar and he'll decide your fate."

A little dirty move like what Sebille did to Stingtail. We weren't going to kill him, but Lohar surely was going to. But then again, this sniveling weasel willingly killed and controlled hundreds of people to get what he wanted. It was too dangerous to let him go free. Beast holstered his weapon and leaned down to lift Mordus's body up.

"Marcus Miles," I said.

Beast stopped and looked up at me. I continued.

"Cousin of Queen Jestina and leader of the failed Dwarven Rebellion."

I finally remembered where I heard that name. Beast stood up and rubbed the back of his head.

"Ay. Guess the cat's out of the bag. I am indeed the Marcus Miles. Leader of the failed rebellion against the tyrant Queen and took life as a sailor afterwards."

"Then what are you doing here going after your leader again?" I asked him.

Beast inhaled and readied himself to explain.

"After I got nabbed by the Magisters, I caught wind of something Jestina was planning from former colleges I met at Fort Joy."

"Hmm. We were sent to Fort Joy too. We escaped aboard Dallis's ship the Lady Vengeance. How'd you escape?"

"It's complicated. Since we don't have time for stories now, the gist is that it involved a barrel on a ship and the height Duna gave our race."

Not much to decipher there.

"But the important thing you need to know is I learned of something called Operation Downfall. Now I know what and where it is."

 _Arx._

"Well that's a problem," I said. "We're in no hurry to get to Arx. Our priorities lie elsewhere."

"I bet; what with your Godwoken business. Does that mean you're meant to take up Lucian's mantel?"

"The short version, yes. But there's a bunch of other details we don't have time to explain."

"Ay. I understand. You've got to go your way and I've got to go mine."

He looked down at Mordus again.

"By the way, you said you knew who is master was?"

"It's the God King," I said. "He's a powerful entity who controls the voidwoken and the Black Ring."

Beast raised his brows.

"Well, that's something that's way out of my league right now. I going to head to Arx after I make a little delivery to Lohar."

He picked up the unconscious body of Mordus and threw it on his shoulder.

"How's about we find our way out before we say our farewells?"

I smiled and nodded. I looked up to see a path that lead to another tunnel. We walked out of the chamber into the tunnel and followed it. Eventually, we saw beams of sunlight around the corner. When we turned it, fresh air filled our nostrils and the sunlight filled me with reprieve from the horrors I've witnessed. We were on a cliffs edge with a small path against the rock wall. One by one, we descended the path until we came to a drop onto the dirt bellow. One by one, we dropped onto the ground. No one broke any bones thankfully.

"So where are we now?" the Red Prince asked.

Ifan pulled out his map. He observed the surroundings and pointed at the location he deduced we were at. Beast read the map and looked to make a mental note for his journey back to the main road then to Driftwood.

"I guess this is where we part ways," Beast said.

"I suppose it is," I said. "Thanks again for saving me."

"My pleasure," he said. "Good luck in your quest for Divinity. Hopefully you'll be a better Divine than Lucian."

With that, Beast turned around and walked through the trees with an unconscious Mordus over his shoulder. When he disappeared in the brush, we all looked at Ifan's map.

"The scientist said that Hannag was at the ruins in Closterwood," I said.

Sebille pointed at the image of a chapel a few miles from where Ifan said we were. Ifan put the map away with an unnerving look in his eyes.

"When we find her, I'll make sure she answers all the question we care to throw at her…."

He walked through the brush with purpose. The Red Prince and Sebille followed next. I eventually followed, but not before having a very troubling feeling about what was going to happen once we found Hannag.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** When I watched the story synopsis for Beast, I felt it odd for him to not abandon his quest for Divinity a go straight to Arx to stop Jestinia. So, I decided to have him appear as a side character to have him go his own way separate from the Divinity plot. In fact, I think many subplots would make for a good story on their own. Especially my doppelganger setup of the Red Prince and Mahalia. Perhaps I should write an AU series where the Divinity plot is abandoned, and it focuses on the rivalry between the Red Prince and Mahalia. Or maybe that could be its own original novel series with different characters. What do you think?

Anyway, we're on our way to Hannag and getting closer to finishing the Driftwood arc so we can get to the real juicy stuff. Thank you again for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

It was just past noon by the time we arrived at the ruins of the chapel in the middle of the Closterwoods. None of us spoke to each other the entire time. If Hannag was at the chapel, I didn't know what was going to happen. But we were about to find out for sure.

When we emerged from the brush and saw the decayed walls of the chapel, we heard several noises coming from within it. Instinctively, we crouched and slowly approached the west wall. We lined up against the wall and listened in. We heard several sounds: electricity, fire and even morphing sounds. Under all of that we could hear the shouts of Magisters.

I looked up to see a little hole in the wall on the second story. I tapped Ifan on the shoulder and pointed to the hole. Ifan nodded and looked at Sebille and the Red Prince. He signaled them to stay put. He walked up to me and I unfurled my wings. Once we reached the second story, I retracted my wings and kneeled with Ifan. We found ourselves on a balcony with the whole roof of the building missing. We crept up to the edge of the balcony and peeked over into the remains of the main chamber. At least six Magisters were bunkered down behind the pews and rubble as flashes of electricity and fire raged around them. It was then I looked at the altar of the chapel. Standing there was a single yellow-scaled lizard waving her arms left and right. Around her, portals emerged sending fire and electricity at the Magisters. That must have been Hannag and she wasn't going down without a fight.

I looked over at Ifan and he nodded. We crept back to the hole in the wall and looked down at the others. Ifan signaled them the number of enemies inside and told them to sneak into the chapel through the front door. The Red Prince shot a thumbs up and both he and Sebille started making their way to the front. As they did, Ifan and I crept back to the edge of the balcony. From our vantage point we had an angle on three of the hunkered down Magisters. I looked at the balcony on the other side of the chapel and found another vantage point. I pointed it out to Ifan and he nodded. Slowly but surely, I crept across the balcony to the other side. Once there, I peeked over. From where I stood, I had a clear shot at two targets. I looked to the entrance and saw the Red Prince and Sebille hiding behind the pillars by the front door out of sight of the hunkered down Magisters. They looked up at me and Ifan. Ifan got to work signaling to us what targets to take out. We nodded and prepared ourselves.

After Hannag summoned another flash of lightning, Ifan fired his arrow. It landed into the exposed neck of one of the Magisters. As soon as he fell, the other magisters took notice. It was then I reared my head back and unleashed a fireball from my mouth. It landed square into the chest of a second Magister and caused one of his nearby friends to jump away from the flames. Unfortunately for him, he was now in Hannag's line of sight. Before he could do anything, a solar beam roared out of one of her portals. The beam burned through him, causing his scorched body to fall to the ground in two pieces.

Sebille and the Red Prince emerged taking on the last three Magisters: her one, him two. With careful precision, Sebille dodged her opponent's attacks and maneuvered herself around him. She landed small stabs around the exposed parts of the Magister's armor. Each wound weakened him. Eventually, the wounds took their toll and he fell to his knees. Sebille finished him with a graceful slit of his throat. The Red Prince danced with his two opponents so gracefully, neither I nor Ifan needed to help him. He parried every attack with his shield and sword, causing imbalance between his opponents. Eventually, he slammed his shield against one of them, forcing him into a nearby pillar. The Red Prince then went on the offensive on the other Magister. The Magister parried and tried to turn the tide but exposed himself. The Prince maneuvered his sword and pierced the exposed area of his armpit. The Magister dropped his sword and put his hand on the wound while falling to his knees. Before the Red Prince finished him off, the other Magister recovered and charged at him from behind. Right as the Magister brought his sword up to being down onto the Lizard, the Red Prince ducked and, in a fluid motion, swept the human off his feet and threw him over the Prince's shoulder. The Magister landed on the ground square on his back, dazed. Before the human could recover, the Red Prince, plunged his blade into his exposed neck, finishing him off. When he withdrew the blade, he looked to see Sebille standing behind the remaining wounded Magister just as she withdrew her blade from his throat. With his neck gushing blood, he fell onto his belly and gargled his final breaths.

The Magisters were finished. I looked over at Ifan. He stepped over the edge of the balcony and hung from it before dropping to the ground level without any broken legs. I unfurled my wings and floated to the ground level too. I retracted my wings and turned to the alter that was obstructed by a broken pillar.

"IT'S OKAY, HANNAG!" I called out to the Source Master. "THE MAGISTERS ARE DEALT WITH. WE'RE FRIENDLIES!"

I could hear a spell that was ready to be cast, but it was suspended.

"Come out slowly!" she shouted. "One at a time!"

I was the first to do so. I walked around the destroyed pillar with my hands up. Hannag stood at the alter at the top of a shallow flight of six steps with her palm facing me, ready to send a lightning strike at a moment's notice. Next to come out was Sebille, then the Red Prince, then Ifan. Hannag's eyes shifted between the four of us.

"I sense you have Source within you. Thus, you cannot be of the Divine Order."

Slowly, she lowered her hand and the electrical aura around it dissipated.

"You have my thanks. But why are you here?"

I opened my mouth but before I could utter a word, Ifan shuffled violently past me.

"YOU!"

Time suddenly stood still. I was frozen with my hand just out of reach of Ifan. He had his crossbow trained on Hannag while she had her lightning infused hand pointed at him. I did not move a muscle. If I did, I feared it would cause either one of them to attack each other. I couldn't see what the Red Prince or Sebille were doing but I imagined they were as petrified as I was.

"You made the Deathfog that annihilated the elves," Ifan shouted at Hannag. "Who do you work for? HOW DID YOU TRICK LUCIAN!?"

Hannag kept her hand pointed at Ifan but I saw her stern expression faulter. I could see a flicker of realization spark into her eye.

"You…" she said. "You're the one. You're the one Lucian sent with my device."

"ANSWER MY QUESTION!"

I felt my body tighten even more. Any more tension and I felt I was going to snap in half.

"I didn't trick anyone," Hannag replied. "I just made the device the Divine himself ordered."

Though I couldn't see his face, I saw Ifan's body tremble. His hands holding his crossbow shook.

"So, it…it was Lucian's idea? H-his?"

His voice reflected betrayal. Like the way I spoke when I discovered Sadha's decision to merge the Empire's Houses to fulfill the prophecy.

"Yes," Hannag said, "Him and his son."

 _Alexander was in on this too?_

Ifan kept staring down Hannag while his hands and body shook. I could feel the anger flowing out of him. But would that anger cause him to fire his bow? My body shook with the helpless feeling of not being able to do anything.

"GAAAAAAAUGGGHHH!"

The scream scared me. But thankfully, it didn't come with the death of any five of us standing in the chapel. Instead, Ifan turned away and threw his crossbow to the side. He stormed over to the nearest pew and, with a raging roar, threw it over its side. Then he took a piece of rubble and smashed it against a destroyed pillar before he continually punched and kicked it. Eventually, the venting ran its course and Ifan slouched to his knees and rested his forehead against the pillar. His eyes were squeezed shut and his teeth were gritted hard in his jaw.

"Is that why you're here?"

I turned my gaze around to Hannag. She put her hand down but held it in relaxed-ready position.

"Are you here to kill me?"

I felt the tension of the stand-off release from my body. I took a deep breath and calmly replied.

"No. We discovered that part about the device earlier today. But we're not here to judge you for what happened."

"Then what are you here for?"

I opened my mouth. But before I said, "To channel more source," I suddenly remembered. I reached into my pocket and pulled something out. I slowly ascended the steps to stand in front of her. I held out my hand and opened it. Her eyes widened as she looked at the ring resting in the middle of my palm.

"Where did you get that?" she asked nervously.

"From your apprentice, Gwydian."

Her mouth hung open.

"He's okay," I said before she asked the question. "We managed to save him and his family from the Magisters at the Black Pits."

Hannag sighed and her body relaxed with relief. She took the ring from my hand.

"I believe you," she said. "You've proven to me to be a friend by saving me from the Magisters. But now, I need to repay you more than once for saving my apprentice."

She put the ring into her pocket and stood in a relaxed stance.

"So, what do you need of me?"

I looked back at the others. Ifan had managed to stand back up and recover his crossbow. His face was still dreary, but he managed to nod with Sebille and the Red Prince. I faced Hannag again.

"We need your help to channel more source," I said.

She raised her brow. She squinted, seemingly observing me.

"I can sense that you're Sourcerers. But if you want to expand your source then that must mean…"

"We're Godwoken, yes," I replied.

She brought two fingers up and grazed them across her lips.

"Well then, I can most definitely help you with that."

I grinned.

"Alright. Tell us what we need to do."

She nodded and backed herself up. She beckoned me and the others to stand before her. The others walked up the steps and lined up next to me before Hannag. As they did, I caught a suspicious look between Hannag and Ifan. But thankfully it didn't lead to anything bad. Ifan just stood silently next to me. Hannag began.

"I can increase your powers by taking the source from the world around you; from the animal world."

 _The animal world?_

Instead of sucking the souls of people, we'd be sucking the source out of animals. I looked down to my left at Sebille. She looked up at me with a pondering face. Eventually she spoke.

"We did agree on not sucking people's souls. I don't have a problem with this."

I looked over at the Red Prince standing next to Ifan.

"Neither do I," he said.

I looked down at Ifan. He looked up at me with his still dreary eyes. To my surprise, he took a step back. Everyone else turned their heads to him.

"Do what you need to do," Ifan said. "I can't do this with Afrit bound to me. It might kill him."

He did have a point. Though I was surprised to see that he was able to resist the urge. When I tried to stop Ryker, Zorl-Stissa paralyzed me so I wouldn't interfere. But he simply was walking away from this. But I didn't dwell on why. Ifan descended the steps and sat down against the same pillar he punched and kicked. The rest of us turned our attention back to Hannag.

"Let us begin," she said.

She held out her hand to us. Sebille placed her hand on top of hers. Then I placed mine on top of Sebille's and the Red Prince placed his hand on mine. Hannag then placed her other hand on top of the Red Prince's. Hannag closed her eyes and focused her mind. Through her hands, I felt a vibration travel through my arm to my mind. I could feel the humming of life around me. Thousands of tiny heartbeats, the true rhythm of the forest. I felt myself reach out to the woods. The heartbeat rhythm quickened. The creatures of the forest sensed us pulling at them. I could sense their fear. They tried to escape but they were too late.

I felt their Source be pulled from them and brought to me. I felt the combined Source of the creatures surge from Hannag's palms into mine. It rushed up my arm and entered my heart. Once again, another chamber opened in my heart to be filled with source. I felt stronger. More capable.

Hannag let go of our hands. My hand fell to my side. I inhaled as the great feeling passed and my mind returned to reality. It was then I felt the forest around the chapel feel quieter. Emptier. All the souls of the woodland creatures were gone. Nothing remained. I felt a chill surge up my spin and my hand shook. I tightened my fist to try to make it stop. It was only when I took a deep breath that it did. But even when the shaking stopped, I still felt a lingering sense of remorse for what happened.

 _If Rivellon is to be saved, there are sacrifices that must be made._

Zorl-stissa's words were meant to justify my actions. Even so, I still felt tainted from what I had to do. I looked over at Hannag who nodded her head to me.

"I've paid my debt to you for saving my life," she said. "But… I worry about your heart. The time will come when you must choose between the many and the few. I hope that then you will remember your good heart."

"Oh, don't worry," Sebille gestured toward me. "She's the most good heart you can ever get in a Godwoken."

I looked over at Sebille. She wore her sly smile and gave me a wink. When I looked back Hannag, she narrowed her eyes at Sebille.

"A bold statement."

She glanced at me for a moment before looking at Sebille again.

"But considering she saved my apprentice; I'll take your word for it."

She looked at me again.

"I've repaid you for saving me life. Now I must repay you for saving my apprentice."

She took a step back and held her hands up by her sides. From above her, two small portals opened: one above each hand. From each portal, an object fell out and landed into both of her hands. As the portals closed, she brought her hands forward and presented the objects to us. My eyes widened.

They were small pyramids, the size of a human adult's palm. One was red, the other was blue. But they weren't just any antique pyramids you'd keep on your desk or have on your private display stand.

"What are those?" Sebille asked.

"Teleportation Pyramids," I answered her.

She looked over at me with a surprised face. The Red Prince was surprised too. Then both of their faces turned to intrigue. I took the blue pyramid while Sebille took the red one.

"Just focus your mind on the image of the opposite pyramid and you'll be transported to its location," Hannag said. "While it's on the ground, you, and anyone touching you, will be transported leaving the pyramid behind. But while holding it in your hand, it'll be transported with you."

"Quite useful," the Red Prince said. "Could have helped out greatly during out adventure at Paradise Downs."

I huffed. He was right, it would have helped greatly because I wouldn't have to go back and forth to carry everyone over the cliffs and gaps of the fractured land. But now, I wouldn't have to do that again if we came across another problem like that. Hannag then continued.

"Just remember that after every use, it takes a few minutes for them to be used again. So, time your uses carefully."

A small limitation. These things would give us an almost unfair advantage against our foes if they could be used indefinitely.

"Thank you, Hannag," I said. She bowed her head to me.

"It's the least I could do," she said. "Now, I think it's time I leave this place before more Magisters show up."

"Agreed," I said.

"Farewell, friend. May you succeed in your quest for Divinity."

With that, Hannag turned around and gathered her belongings. She proceeded down the steps and walked past the corpses of the Magisters out the front entrance. To my surprise, Ifan, who still sat with his back against the pillar, didn't move at all. He just buried his chin into his knees and stared at the stone floor.

When Hannag exited the chapel, I looked over at Sebille and the Red Prince. After they glanced at each other, they nodded at me and walked through the chapel to wait outside the entrance.

I slowly approached Ifan. Without moving his head, his eyes looked up at me but then went back to looking at the ground. In that brief glance, I could see that he had the life drained out of him. He looked like how I felt when I sulked in the cargo hold after my revelation about Sadha.

I sat down next to him and stared at the same spot he did. All there was between us was the eerie silence of the chapel and the now empty forest around us. We didn't speak for a full minute before I decided to start the conversation.

"Is Afrit okay?"

It took a moment, but Ifan eventually lowered his knees to have both of his legs lay flat on the stone floor.

"Yes. He's fine," he said. I saw the life drained from his eyes. Now I could hear the drained life in his voice. Once he was a jolly and charming fellow anyone would have a good time with. Now, he was a drab and broken man. Much like how the Red Prince acted after Sadha was kidnapped. But unlike the Prince, it hurt me seeing Ifan this way.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

He glanced up at me. His eyes carried a lingering sadness. He closed them again and tightened his fists. I felt he wanted to get angry, but he didn't look to have the energy to do so. He opened his eyes and released the tension in his body.

"She…she disgusts me," he said. "What kind of person would knowingly craft something like that?"

His question made me pause. I thought about it. Then I remembered Stingtail. He was forced to put the scar on Sebille and he regretted it. Perhaps Hannag was the same. At least I hoped that was the case.

"I don't know," I said. "Perhaps she was just a soldier following orders."

Ifan's eyes moved up to look at the sky through the missing roof.

"Following orders…" Ifan said. "Just like I was."

I placed my hand on his shoulder. Slowly, he turned his head and looked up at me with his empty eyes.

"I don't blame you, Ifan," I said. "It was Lucian who gave the order. It would have happened anyway if someone else was chosen to do it."

Slowly, I saw life return to his eyes. He lifted his hand and placed it on top of my hand. A grin gradually grew on his lips.

"I appreciate that you don't blame me."

But the grin disappeared as well as the life in his eyes. He turned his head away and pulled his hand from mine.

"But would the elves forgive me if they knew about this?"

He pursed his lips together, looking like he was going to cry at any moment. I could feel my empathy telling me I shouldn't let that happen. Then an idea popped into my head.

"Well, let's find out."

Ifan turned his head to me, his brows raised in confusion. Before he could say anything, I took his hand and stood up.

"Wha-" Ifan moaned as I pulled him from the floor. I firmly held onto his hand as I pulled him to the entrance to the chapel. Once we stepped outside, the Red Prince and Sebille turned their heads to us. Ifan stumbled in front of them as I let go of him.

"Sebille."

She looked over at me.

"Do you blame Ifan for what happened to your people?"

Sebille moved her eyes to Ifan and I did the same. Ifan brashly looked at both of us before locking his gaze with Sebille. I could see some contemplation in her eyes as she stared at him. She shifted her gaze to the ground before she spoke her answer.

"No. No, I don't."

Ifan's eyes twitched. Sebille then pulled her right sleeve up to look at the names on it.

"It's my fault these people are dead because I ran away to be captured by the Master."

She pulled her sleeve back down and looked directly at Ifan again.

"But you… you did everything the Order asked of you when they were doing good things. Then you left when they started doing bad things. You've been a good friend to me, and I won't start blaming you for something that wasn't your fault."

Ifan's eyes showed some relief from her words. Then everyone turned their eyes to the Red Prince. At first, I wondered why we did that. He wasn't really a person to look to for emotional support. But even so, the Red Prince glanced at each of us before he crossed his arms and took a deep breath.

"Soldiers are expected to follow orders. When I was leading my armies, my soldiers did what they were told. When I ordered them to attack, they spilled the blood of the enemy. When I ordered them to round up villagers, they locked them up in the cages to be wheeled off to the Empire."

He placed his hands on his hips and shifted his stance.

"But there were those few who refused to follow through with my orders. Several times, I've ordered the executions of those deserters. But some of them slipped through the cracks and escaped into exile. Now I've come to see why. They no longer believed in what they were ordered to do when they knew what would happen."

He looked over at Ifan.

"You left when you no longer believed in the Order. And I'd imagine you'd have left earlier if you knew what would really happen in your situation. So, my answer is no."

He paused for a moment then sighed.

"Of course, I don't believe I'm the sort of person to make that sort of judgement. I've done terrible things to elves in the past after all."

A silence followed. Ifan's eyes were racing with many conflicting emotions. As for me, what caught my attention was the Red Prince's words, particularly the ones about the deserters. Eventually Ifan opened his mouth.

"I… appreciate everything you've said to me."

I felt a grin slowly grow on my face. He continued.

"It's going to take some time for me to process this. But, I'm still a member of this team. I'll continue to do my part and we'll finish our journey to save the world."

Sebille walked over and placed a hand on Ifan's shoulder with a smile. Ifan smiled back and put his arms around her. She hugged him back and when they were finished, I moved in and gave him a hug of my own. I felt his arms pull me hard against his body. I rested my chin on top of his head as he nested his face into my neck. When he pulled back, I looked into his eyes to see the appreciation for the support we were giving him. Ifan looked over at the Red Prince. The lizard gave a simple nod to him. Ifan nodded back.

"Right then," the Red Prince said. "What's the plan now?"

Just then, I felt the same feeling I had when we gained source power from Ryker. Zorl-stissa was calling to me again. When I looked over at the Red Prince and Sebille, they had the same look on their faces. Ifan took notice.

"Did your gods contact you?" he said.

"Yes," I said. "But you didn't?"

"No," Ifan said. "I guess worrying about Afrit really cost me, didn't it?"

"Perhaps," the Red Prince said. "But I seem to recall that we've only found five out of the six Source Masters here on Reaper's Coast."

"That's right," Sebille said. "The last one is supposed to be near Bloodmoon Island."

She looked over at Ifan. He pulled out his map from his bag. When he opened it, we looked to at the image of the chapel we were at. When we looked over at Bloodmoon Island, it was an island at edge of a large lake to the east.

"We could make it there in an hour," Ifan said. He looked at the rest of us. "If it's worth it for me to get my source to the same level as you."

The three of us looked at each other.

"The way I see it," I said. "We're a team and everyone needs to be at their best if we're to accomplish our goal."

Then I remembered.

"Also, we've got to find the other piece of Anathema."

Everyone else raised their brows remembering Tarquin's request. My eyes rested on the Red Prince.

"I still don't trust that devious necromancer," the Red Prince said. "But I agree a unit is effective when there are no weak links in the chain. Let's get to Bloodmoon Island."

I looked over at Sebille.

"This feels a like another sidetrack to our main goal. And the last two times that happened, it turned out for the best. So, call it a gut feeling."

I chuckled.

"Alright then. Off to Bloodmoon Island."

Before I could take a step though, I heard a rumble from my stomach. I heard Sebille giggle.

"…after we take a break for lunch."

"Agreed," the Red Prince said. Everyone else nodded.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Had to take a little break. But now I'm back and determined more than ever to finish the Driftwood Arc.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

It didn't take long to get back on the road again after our lunch. We followed a path through the woods for an hour getting closer to the bridge we saw in on the map leading to the island. Along the way, we found growths of blackroot. Ifan immediately collected a batch of them and put them into his bag for us to use for the ritual later.

We were nearly at the bridge before we found ourselves at the edge of a small clearing. On the other side was a cliff leading to the lake. By the cliff's edge was a small shack. In front of the shack was a human man. Next to the man was a cage. Inside the cage were two creatures. I couldn't tell what they were from the distance we were at. But the man turned his gaze in our direction.

His eyes were brown, and his skin was a dark chestnut. His hair was black and formed into a ponytail while his mustache and beard were almost like Ifan's. He had a glowing mace holstered on one hip and a wand on the other. He was clad in a light metal armor. His pose was rather relaxed, regel even.

"Go on," the man said with a rather peculiar accent. "Step in from the shadows. Let's have a look at the wanderers lost in the woods."

I looked over at the others.

"Think he's our Source Master?" I whispered.

"Call it a gut feeling," Sebille winked. Ifan and the Red Prince nodded.

I adjusted my posture and stepped forward out of the brush into plain view of the man. The others did the same. The man raised his brows.

"There is much weakness in revelation. What upper hand you had; you've lost."

He then looked at each of us with a rather intense gaze. He brought his finger to his lips, as if weighing us on an unseen scale. After a while, he brought his finger down and showed a spark in his eye.

"I stand corrected. It is in revelation that you show your upper hand."

He looked over at the cage with the creatures inside. When I looked over at it myself, I could see what the creatures were: demons. Not vampiric voidwoken, but actual demons. One was a small doglike monster with only meat and bones for a body. The other was the size and stature of the Red Prince but with no tail. It had a jaw of sharp teeth covering nearly half of its face and said face was literally burning.

"The roads are rather dusty today, aren't they, Godwoken?"

The man's voice took my attention away from the nightmares in the cage. He walked up to us and politely bowed.

"Allow me to introduce myself: I am Jahan."

"Mahalia," I said. "And these are Sebille, Ifan and the Red Prince."

"Quite the company of Godwoken," Jahan said. "But who am I to judge? I myself am no ordinary man after all."

"I suppose that's because you're a professional demon hunter?" Sebille said looked over at the cage. When I brought my eyes back to the nightmares trapped within again, a violent snarl and rattling against the iron bars caused me to jump.

"Don't worry about them," Jahan said with a smirk. "But to answer your question, yes, I am indeed a demon hunter. Underneath that, I am what those with a flair for hyperbole call a Master of the Source."

"Well that's good because we're in need of one," I said.

"Of course you are," Jahan replied. "That is what Godwoken do. The answer to your next question by the by, is yes. I will teach you. But if you do something for me first. Quid pro quo, I'm afraid."

 _Of course there's a catch._

Jahan brought his hand up and beckoned us to follow him as he turned around. We did so as he led us behind the shack to the cliff's edge. He stopped to point to what lay across the waters.

 _Bloodmoon Island._

There it was. An island that lay not too far away from where we were. We could even see the bridge that led to it from the cliffs that curved around to the right of where we stood. But there were three factors that made it an unpleasant sight. The first was that the bridge was completely ruined. It almost seemed impossible to cross it even with my wings. The second was the dark aura that surrounded the island itself. It wasn't a dark fog or a cloud that hung above it like the one over Paradise Downs. Rather, it looked like the light of the sun didn't shine through properly onto the island, thus it looked like a dark blanket was cast over it. The third was the entire island was surrounded by Deathfog.

"Let me guess," I looked over at Jahan. "You're looking for something that's in the middle of that island and you can't get to it?"

Jahan gave an unfortunate grin to me.

"I've been hunting a particular demon for a long time. I've managed to track him down to that island. My caged guests have confirmed as much."

He faced me with his hands on his hips.

"Unfortunately, though I am I talented demon hunter, I am not immune to the effects of Deathfog."

"And you want us to solve the problem of getting there and hunting your prey for you," the Red Prince said as a statement and not a question.

"If I could, I'd do it myself. But under the circumstances, I cannot leave my guests unattended. So, my offer to you is you find your way to the island and kill the demon. Once that is finished, I will be your teacher."

I looked over at the others. They all had the same look.

"Well, we were going to go there for our own personal reasons anyway. Might as well complete something else while we're at it. You have a deal."

I held out my hand to Jahan. He immediately shook it.

"Excellent. Now follow me and take a seat."

He walked back to the front of the cottage. He sat down on the ground with his legs crossed in front of the cage. We sat down in front of him. The demons in the cage hissed and snarled but Jahan paid neither of them any mind.

"Let me describe your target," Jahan began. "The demon's guise, or vessel one can't be quite certain, is that of a lizard known as the 'Advocate'. Like all his ilk, he is kind. He is charming. He will offer you what you desire most at seemingly no cost at all."

He brought his fist up to emphasis what he was going to say next.

"There is no such thing as no cost at all. My advice is to strike him before he even has a chance to speak. But should you choose to disregard me, should you allow him to parley, all you have to do is say 'no'. Above all else, remember that."

I pursed my lips.

"Kill the demon before it can speak and if it does, just say no and kill him anyway. Sounds simple enough."

"It does sound simple," Jahan said. "But don't let yourself become overconfident. It is a common mistake many novice hunters make."

"Don't worry," I said. "We've experience killing monsters. We know to be cautious."

"Splendid," Jahan said. "But before you go, there's something more I want to discuss."

"Are you altering the deal?" the Red Prince asked accusingly.

"Not at all," Jahan replied calmly. "The deal still stands. You kill the Advocate, I teach you. But this other thing is something that could deepen our alliance and save a lot more people in the future."

"What is it?" I asked.

"You see, the Advocate isn't really my target. It's his master I'm after."

My eyes widened and I imagined the others did too behind me.

"No need to worry. I'm not asking you to go after him. All I ask is that when you kill Advocate, I'd like you to keep an ear to the ground and try to uncover the name and location of this Arch-Demon. You do that for me, I will go and face this monster and ride the world of his tainted influence."

 _As if the Godking was the only all-powerful entity we had to be worried about._

"If we learn of anything, we'll tell you when we come back with the Advocate's head on a platter," I replied.

Jahan grinned. He stood up and we did too. He shook my hand one last time and patted me on the shoulder.

"I wish you luck, fellow demon hunters."

 _Demon hunters._

That was a title I wouldn't have expected to have in my life. Then again, I didn't expect to have the mantle of Godwoken either. We turned to leave.

"Oh, and one last piece of advice."

I stopped and looked back at Jahan.

"When facing impossible odds, a clear mind is the best tool to overcome it."

When I heard clear mind, I instantly knew what he meant.

"Thank you, Jahan. We'll be back soon."

Jahan nodded and turned back to keep his eye on the caged demons. The three of us walked away from the shack a good distance before stopping to talk to one another.

"So… how are we going to get past all that deathfog?" the Red Prince asked.

I looked over at the darkened island past the mists of green death.

"I think we already know what the best way to get there is," Sebille said.

She held the Red Teleportation Pyramid in her hand. My brows shot up. I immediately reached into my bag and pulled out the Blue Pyramid.

"I suppose you don't have to worry about carrying us across one at a time anymore," Ifan said to me.

"Guess not," I said. "But…"

I looked at the island again.

"I don't know if I can travel that long a distance in a single flight."

"Well, you could practice longer flights out here before you throw yourself over the deathfog," the Red Prince said.

I could do that. But then I looked over at the ruins of the bridge ahead. I raised my brows.

"Let's get over there. I'd like to see something first."

We walked along the cliffside to the stone archway where the bridge used to begin. The archway was accompanied by several ruins of statues all around. We stood looking down the line of decayed pillars that used to support a stone bridge that stretched over the waters. The remains of the pillars stretched over the mists of deathfog. I'd be clear of the poisonous fumes if I flew on top of them. The only problem was, none of the pillars looked stable or flat enough for me to land on. But then I remembered a similar predicament at Fort Joy. I closed my eyes and spoke the words. When I opened them, I gasped and chuckled to myself.

"Ha! Clever. Very clever!"

The others followed my lead and opened their eyes. With our spirit vison, we could see translucent segments of the bridge held up by the remaining pillars. Unfortunately, the remains were too fragmented for all of us to simply walk through together. But they were in short lengths for me to glide over with my wings one at a time. I looked out to the darkened island. At the end of the bridge fragments, there was a wooden gate in the middle of another stone archway.

"You ready to risk your life to bring your pyramid to the other side?" Ifan asked me.

I picked up a rock and threw it to the nearest fragment. It bounced off the solid surface and rolled off the edge to fall through the green mists into the grey water below.

"It's worth a shot," I said. I looked over at Sebille. "You remember how to work that Pyramid?"

"Just touch it and focus your mind on the other pyramid," Sebille said.

"Also, it would be best if we leave it here," the Red Prince said. "Once we conclude our business on that demon infested island, it'd be beneficial to have an efficient escape route."

"Agreed," Sebille said. "We'll just hide it somewhere here until we get back."

She walked over and placed the pyramid in a small crevice underneath a rock propped against the base of a broken statue. Difficult for some random wanderer to find during the time we're gone. With our escape route established, it was time for me to cross the river of death to get to the Island of Death.

"Once I get to the other side safely, I'll signal you to come across," I said.

"Be careful," Ifan said. I grinned and gave him a nod.

I stood under the archway and took a deep breath. I unfurled my wings. I eyed the nearest piece of the bridge. I hopped two times and leapt off the edge. Two flaps and I glided onto the platform, landing gracefully. I looked to the other platform and repeated the process. Two hops, two flaps, glide, land. I repeated the process again and again until I was three quarters there. I paused for a moment to notice the light around me had faded. I looked up to see the sun was shining through without any of the clouds obscuring it. But everything around me was darker. I had entered the dark aura of the island. It wasn't like the decaying aura the creature in the middle of Paradise Downs created, but it left a foreboding feeling in my gut for what we were eventually going to face. Regardless, I sucked it up and flew to the next platform and the one after that. With a final hop and beat of my wings, I landed onto the edge of the stone bridge still attached to the island. I sighed in relief and retracted my wings.

I turned around to look at the other side of the bridge. I could barely make out the shapes of the others. Regardless, I inhaled a large breath and felt the fire in my heart stir. I unleashed a fireball into the sky. It glowed bright red against the darkness that stretched from the island into the air high above. I watched as the ball reached the top of its arc and slowly float down. It gently fell into the deathfog mists and disappeared as it touched the grey water below it. They most certainly should have seen that, darkened sky or not. I reached into my bag and held the blue pyramid in my hands.

Moments later, in a puff of smoke, Sebille appeared in front of me kneeling. Her hand was reaching out for the pyramid that was no longer touching her fingertips. Behind her, Ifan and the Red Prince stood with a hand on both her shoulders. They gasped and looked around before setting their gaze on me.

"Pleasant ride?" I asked them.

"It was the first time I was ever teleported," Sebille stood up taking deep breath. "I think we'll get used to it."

I grinned. I looked over at the boys. They nodded their heads in agreement.

"Alright then," I said putting the pyramid away. I turned to face the wooden gate.

"Rules of engagement: Kill on sight."

I looked at everyone else and they nodded. I looked back at the gate and sighed deeply.

"To hell and back together," I said.

"Together," Ifan said.

"Together," Sebille and the Red Prince said.

I walked up to the gate and pushed. The wooden door slowly swung forward. When the door was open enough, we slipped in one-by-one. Once inside, we caught a glimpse of what awaited us. Our feet were on a stone floor. Ahead was a statue of a hooded human man with bird wings on his back. Flanking it were two flights of steps leading left and right. Beyond the steps was a layout of pillars, archways and statues stretching beyond. And coating the surface of it all was the bloody puss that coated the interior of the cave we faced Redeka in and the Voidwoken birthing chambers. As you could expect, the smell that accompanied the puss was the familiar stench of decay we encountered twice already.

 _It's a demon infested island. What did you expect?_

But speaking of demons, there weren't any around us. At least for the moment.

"So, what do we try to find first?" Sebille asked. "Anathema? Or the Advocate."

"Well, we don't know where either is," Ifan said. "So, it stands to reason we should explore to find whichever we come across first."

It felt foolish that we were going into this without a clear destination in mind and minimal preparation. But we were godwoken and we've faced threats big and small before. It was time we put the title of demon hunter to the test.

"Let's…" my eyes shifted left and right at the flights of stairs. "Go left first."

"Either is fine at this point," Sebille said.

"Just be sure to keep your heads on a swivel," Ifan said. "We don't know what's out there."

I took in a deep breath of the tainted air and exhaled.

 _Time to hunt some demons._

I took my first step forward onto the bloody puss with the others following me. We proceeded up the steps to the left to see a flat walkway flanked with pillars and statues covered in bloody puss. Nothing we could do but proceed and see what we could find here. With every step, I looked around me. We could be ambushed at any moment. And with every step, I felt more nervous. Was it a natural feeling even through we've faced monsters before? Or was it the island itself playing tricks on me?

"I know why you are here."

I spun around drawing my wand. The others drew their weapons and looked behind themselves too. But there was nothing behind us.

"You're looking for something."

I turned around again. But still, there wasn't anything except the bloody puss and the light of torches around us creating shadows in this shadowy place.

"Don't be alarmed. We don't intend to harm you. Unless of course, you force us too."

It had to be the Advocate. The voice was just as Jahan described. Kind. Charming. But the source of the voice was yet to be seen.

"You are godwoken. You seek to increase your power. We can provide it to you."

His voice felt like it was creeping into me.

"You and my master have a common foe. The Voidowken."

I felt like I had had icy fingertips on my shoulders while this lizard whispered into my ear.

"We can offer you the power you need to bring you one step closer to defeating them. All you need to do is ask and we will provide. Nothing more."

I shifted my shoulders. But I couldn't shrug the icy fingers touching my scales.

"If you accept, we can provide you with what you really seek in exchange for a favor."

I felt my breathing shake as the voice creeped deeper into my body.

"The location of the Council of the Seven, the place where you may ascend to fulfill your destiny. We can provide its location if you rid our little home of intruders trying to desecrate it."

The more he spoke, the more I wanted to listen.

 _When facing impossible odds, a clear mind is the best tool to overcome it._

My eyes sparked. I shifted my gaze around me. Below, I held my free hand relaxed at my side. I whispered the words and drew the rune in midair discreetly. I felt the spell surge up from my fingers up to my head. Instantly, I felt the soothing energy take over my mind. Soon after, the icy fingers were pulled away.

"What do say, Godwoken?"

The voice no longer had sway over me. It didn't feel like a whisper in my ear. Instead, I could hear where it came from. I dipped my head and turned my eye to the ground of where the voice came from.

"Do you want to agree to this mutually beneficial agreement?"

From the ground, I could see the faintest outline of a foot. A lizard foot.

 _Should you allow him to parley, all you have to do is say…_

"NO!"

The whip of my wand ignited, and I swung it in front of me. The tip of it cracked against the flesh of something unseen. The kind and charming voice turned into a piercing shriek as the Advocate appeared. The flame of my whip created a scorching gash into his armor made of bones. He stumbled back both in pain and surprise. From behind me, I felt the relieving gasps of my companions. The words of this demon no longer had sway over them. Then, from all around us, several new figures appeared. Demons. Some literal like the demonic dog we saw in Jahan's cage. Others had the form of Rivellon's races: elves, dwarves, humans. Only they had twisted appearances and unnatural behaviors as they closed in on us.

"DISPERSE!" Ifan shouted.

I instinctively unfurled my wings and leapt into the air. Not a moment later, I felt the ground below me erupt into flames. I landed onto the ground and looked back. I could see the three others got out of the way safely. But I didn't get the chance to help them when I heard a sword being drawn in front of me. I faced forward to see the Advocate holding a curved longsword in his hands while looking at me with his oily black eyes.

"Such a pity," the Advocate said. "It would truly would have been a beneficial agreement."

"For you maybe," I took my stance with my shield and whip at the ready. "But not for me."

I swung my whip around at the demonic lizard. He parried it and dashed forward at me. I brought up my shield intercepted his blow. Another swipe, I blocked it. Then another. Then another. I brought my whip up and curved it around to get a glancing blow on the side of the Advocate's armor. He stumbled back and groaned in pain.

I had an opening. I inhaled and unleashed a frost breath onto him. He brought his hand up before the cold frost encased his body. When I closed my maw, I saw he wasn't completely frozen, but the ice clung to his scales slowing him down. He gritted his teeth and lunged at me again. The slower speed allowed me to get out of the way. I unfurled my wings and hopped over his head. While in mid-air, I turned around and unleashed a lightning strike into him. He spasmed from the shock. But when I touched the ground, he came out of his impaired state and started to channel some sort of dark energy through his body. It coursed through his arms and drenched his blade in a dark liquid. He readied his stance, ready to lunge at me with reckless speed.

Suddenly, an arrow appeared in his back. He turned around to see Ifan already loading his next arrow. With a quick glance, I saw that he, Sebille, the Red Prince and Afrit had taken out half of the demons that ambushed them. But I returned my gaze to the distracted Advocate. I saw my chance. I swung my whip around and, like the vampiric voidwoken I slew, it wrapped around the Advocate's neck. He dropped his sword and brought his hands to the chain around his neck, trying to pry it off. Like before, I channeled the fire in my heart into my wand. The fire in the chain blazed and burned into his scaly neck. He tried to scream, but the only sound he could make was a scorched murmur. As soon as the demon's fingers let go of the chain and his arms went limp, I pulled back on the handle hard. Like the vampiric monster I killed earlier, the head of the demon was cleaved clean off and his body flopped to the ground dead.

With the Advocate dealt with, I turned my attention to my companions. Thankfully, they held off their attackers. The Red Prince withdrew his blade from the chest of a demon elf, watching her flop onto the bloody puss dead. Everyone holstered their weapons as they jogged over to me and the corpse of my opponent.

"You okay?" Ifan asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Jahan was right, a clear mind is the best tool against demons."

"Good thing you did," Ifan said. "We wouldn't have been able to deal with his cronies by ourselves if you didn't silence him."

I looked down at the severed head of the Advocate. His tongue hung from his mouth and his oily black eyes stared blankly open. I took ahold of the head and held it by my side with a prideful smile on my face. The others looked at me in admiration.

"Congratulations," Sebille said with a smirk. "You are officially a demon hunter."

I nodded to her before I took out a blanket from my backpack and wrapped my trophy in it. I put it into my bag before looking at the body of my first demon kill.

"Looks like we won't be able to learn who his master is now, huh?" I said.

"Not from him," the Red Prince said. "But our demon hunter friend did say to kill this creature on sight. That means we can find who the Arch-Demon is from somewhere else on this island."

"The only question is where?" Ifan said.

Sebille was already searching the headless body until she pulled out a piece of paper from the corpse. She folded it open to reveal it was a map of the island. On it were several markings of labeled locations. Several of them were marked with the word "Vault." But one of the markings said "Archive."

 _In archives rest the blade. The path is marked; now on to isle embark._

"I think we found the place where we can find our other half of Anathema," I said pointing at the Archive marking. "And maybe we might find the name of the Arch-Demon there too."

Ifan looked around to get an idea about our position according to the map. Eventually he pointed to in the direction of the east.

"Stay frosty," Ifan said. "We might have killed the demon leader, but that doesn't mean there aren't more of them here."

With that, we were off.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Almost there. Just one chapter left and we can finally leave Driftwood!

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Thankfully, we didn't come across any more demons on our way to the other side of the island. Unthankfully, there was no archive awaiting us. Instead we came to a barren corner in the decayed stone fort. Past the walls, the deathfog swelled above the water below us.

"Are you sure this is the correct location?" the Red Prince asked Ifan. "I see no entrance to anywhere here."

"Perhaps instead of being concealed by sand," I said. "The entrance be concealed under this."

I nudged my foot on the bloody goop under everyone's feet. I looked over at the Red Prince with my claws, ready to pick through it. The Red Prince's eyes widened. His lips puckered in disgust.

"Even though I've committed myself to be more attentive to survival and less on cleanliness, I'd prefer to know exactly where the entrance is before I start digging into this… mess."

"That's fair," I said. "Perhaps if we look close enough, we can find it before digging."

I huddled everyone together. I cast the Peace of Mind spell on the whole group. Everyone inhaled as the soothing warmth entered their minds and enhanced their senses.

"Keep an eye out," I said. We dispersed and scoured the ground to find anything that resembled an entrance under the muck. With the clear mind, my vision felt enhanced and more focused. I could observe more detail.

"Hey!" Sebille called out after a minute of scouring. The rest of us walked over to her. She pointed at a piece of stone in the floor that barely stood out from the bloody gunk. When I looked closer, I could see an outline of a trap door in the puss. I looked over at the Red Prince. I took off my gauntlets to show my bare nails.

"We'll get our hands dirty together. What do you say?"

The Red Prince looked at the ground. He puckered his lips a final time before he undid his gauntlets and exposed his nails.

"For the stories to be told after," the Red Prince said.

He kneeled and we got to work digging into the goo. I scarped the surface and broke chunks of the goo away. I went up from the corner, freeing the edge of the trap door. The Red Prince found another corner of the door and slowly started to go around the side. We continued until all four corners of the door were clear. The Red Prince then noticed something. He dug his claw into the gunk near one of the edges. It revealed a handle. With that, the Red Prince stepped off the door and stood on the outside before grasping the handle. He bent his knees and pulled with all his might. Slowly, but surly, the heavy trap door budged, breaking free of the sticky gung filling the crevices between the door and floor. The rest of us put our fingers into the crevices and pulled. Soon, the Red Prince let go of the handle and put his hands under the door and pushed with us. The door swung open landing onto the ground. We looked down the hole to see a ladder leading down into a stone cavern.

"Hold on a moment," the Red Prince said. "I need to clean myself up before we continue."

He took a hold of his water pouch and squirted some water onto his hands. He scrubbed them thoroughly before he put his gauntlets back on. I followed his lead and cleaned my hands before I put my own gauntlets on. With our hands clean, we looked down the ladder into the hole.

"Ready?" I asked everyone.

"Ready," they repeated.

One by one, we descended the ladder. Once at the bottom, we stepped away from the ladder to find ourselves in a dark room. There was no light except for the dim light coming from the surface. Thankfully there were unlit torches flanking the walls of the chamber. I walked over and placed my hand on it. But before I could grip it and pull it from the holder, the torch suddenly lit up on its own. Suddenly, the other torch lit by itself. Then from around the entire chamber, more torches lit up.

"How convenient," Sebille remarked.

"Indeed," I said.

When the marvel of the automatic magic torches wore off, I looked around to see what was in the chamber we stood in.

Books. Books in shelves. Books on shelves. Books on the floor. Books everywhere.

"Want to stay here for a day?" Sebille asked with playful nudge from her elbow into my arm. I grinned.

"Maybe someday later," I said.

"It'll be quite a feat to find information on a demon here," the Red Prince said. "But I'm not seeing any pedestals or display shelves showing the blade of a sword here."

I looked around again. He was right. There were no display cases. Only shelves of books. But there was on oddity. In the far corner of the room was a skeleton. A skeleton of a human woman wearing faded blue robes. It looked like she died sitting in the corner while holding on to something to her stomach.

I walked through the mess of books to the bones and kneeled before it. In the skeleton's hands was a red covered book. A journal most likely. I reached out and pried her bony fingers from the book. Thankfully, the skeleton didn't come to life to jump out at me. When I had the book, I stood up and examined it. It was then I noticed it had a bookmark in the pages. I opened to journal to the page that was marked and started to read it:

 _The dark presence encroaches. Let this journal serve, then, as a monument to truth – a rare treasure in a world built on lies._

 _To whomever reads this, please know: we only intended to protect, never harm. No priest I know would see the innocent suffer. Bloodmoon Island's very purpose was to keep Riveloon safe – to exorcise and cleanse, to relieve demon-infested souls wherever we might find them._

 _Not every victim is so easily purified. These are the unlucky ones, destined to writhe eternally, vessels for demons too stubborn to return to the plane they call home. Eleanessa was one such vessel. Daeva brought the elf Sourcerer here. She was limp, glass-eyed, silent. We all felt the presence when we drew near. We knew such darkness could never be cast out. She would be banished to the vaults, along with the priest unlucky enough to shackle her._

 _But it was never to be. Daeva had tired of seeing brothers and sisters sacrificed. He performed the exorcism on Eleanessa himself, in spite of our protests, in spite of our prayers. And so the shadow was released._

 _Eleanessa did not survive the exorcism – but I take some comfort in knowing an Ancestor Tree will grow where she fell. As for Daeva, I do not know his fate – I rushed to the Archive, knowing the presence must never be allowed to sing the hymn and enter the vaults. Yet I have found but one; where the rest may be, I can't be certain. So now, I wait. The shadow will soon engulf me._

 _Whatever Bloodmoon Island might become, know what it once was: a temple of hope and healing. I pray this is how you remember us._

 _\- Archivist Blayre Cydow_

I took a deep breath and closed the book. I saw the others were looking at me with curiosity.

"Does that journal tell us who the Demon is?" the Red Prince asked.

"No," I said. "But I think I know who might."

I put the journal down on a nearby shelf.

"There's an elven ancestor tree in the middle of the island. If we use our spirit vision, we could possibly communicate with the spirt within it."

Everyone raised their brows and looked at one another.

"Alright, so we know where to go to learn about our Arch-Demon," the Red Prince said. "But where exactly is the other half of our demon blade."

"I reckon it's behind one of these walls," Ifan pointed to the three walls of the chamber. "The only question is, where would the trigger mechanism be?"

"Let's split up and search for it," I said.

We did so and tore through the shelves and walls to find whatever we could find. Along the way, I stumbled across several books. Some were about general knowledge while most were about demonology. But there were several books that caught my eye. Six in fact. Six books about Source.

A book about fire. Another about water. Air. Warfare. Huntsman. And one about assassins.

These would come in handy if we were to come across more serious threats especially with the amount of Source we could carry now.

"Found something!" Ifan called out. We turned just in time to see him pull a book from a nearby shelf. The book tilted back, and a click sounded from behind it. Soon after, the wall next to the shelf started to slide out of the way. Behind it was a small chamber. I followed everyone else into the hole with my six books stacked in my hands. When I got inside, I looked over my tower of books to see everyone looking down at a single pedestal in the middle of the chamber. On it, I was surprised to see the blade we expected to be there wasn't a blade at all. Instead, it was a half-a-dozen shards of a blade. Every shard shinned a jade glow. The pieces looked brittle, but I knew that looks were deceiving in this world. The Red Prince turned his head when he noticed me.

"Are you planning to take some time off to indulge in your scholarly desires," the Red Prince asked with a brow raised. Everyone else turned and raised their eyebrows too.

"If you look at what's inside these, you'd be very thankful to take that time off," I said. Everyone took the books out of my hands and looked inside them. Their eyes widened.

"Thankful indeed," Ifan said with a smile. I smiled back.

"I'm going to have to ask all of you to carry them because my bag is occupied by the head of a demon," I said.

"Don't worry," the Red Prince said. "My bag is empty. I'll be able to carry them all."

He took out his bag and placed it on the floor. One by one, he fit all six books into it.

"Thank you," I said. "…my Prince."

The Red Prince's brows shoot up. Then he gave an appreciative smile to me.

"You're very welcome," he said.

With the books taken care of, we refocused our attention to the blade. I walked up to the pedestal and gently place my finger on the flat surface of one of the shards.

 _Connected as one, the past and the present slain._

 _Absolution and redemption await the one whose sins are many._

"It's our blade," I said pulling my hand back.

"I'll take care of it," Ifan said. He pulled out a piece of thick animal hide. He carefully took each piece of the blade from the pedestal and methodically put them into the skin. Afterwards, he tied the skin holding the pieces with leather straps into a cut-proof package. He put it into his backpack.

"Anathema is ours," Ifan said. "Now all we have to do is speak to this tree, if you want to make another detour."

I looked through the chamber at the ladder on the other side.

"I think it'll be a detour worth taking," I said. "We'll be able to save a lot of lives in addition to saving the world."

"Then let's get to it," Sebille said with an enthusiastic smile on her face. Everybody else nodded. We exited the archive to the surface. Once outside, we closed the door and Ifan pulled out the Advocate's map. Like the journal said, there was a tree on the island. In the direct center. With our next destination set, we went up the messy roads.

As we proceeded closer, the bloody puss became more prevalent. All around there were clusters, almost nests of the disgusting substance. Accompanying the puss were several corpses encased in it. For whatever reason, this "temple of hope and healing" as the Archivist put it, had turned into quite the opposite at some point.

We found ourselves at a stairway leading to an archway above. From beyond, we could see the top branches of an elven ancestor tree. It must be the tree described in the journal. But before we ascended the steps, we heard several voices chanting.

We kneeled and crypt slowly up the steps. I popped my head over the top step. It seemed to be a nexus with four sets of stairs leading all four directions: west, east, north, south. In the center was indeed the Elven Ancestor Tree. But surrounding the tree were four Black Ring cultists.

"Your name, your name! Relent to the Ring and yield your name!"

They shouted again and again, casting dark spells onto the tree. But it seemed to do nothing as they shouted in their demented tongue in frustration. Were they trying to uncover the secrets we were attempting to get out of the tree? If so, that probably would be a problem. We were going to have to take them out. I slipped down the steps and spoke to the others.

"There's four Black Ring on all four corners around the tree," I said. "I think if we move in on all sides, we'll be evenly matched taking each one-on-one."

I used my palm to mark the positions of the tree and our targets. When we had our targets, we dispersed. I walked straight up the steps in plain sight of the nearest cultist. Once his latest spell was complete, he turned his attention to me. From the left and right corners, the two female cultists turned their attention to me too. I couldn't see the fourth cultist behind the tree. I just hoped his attention was attracted my way. The cultist nearest to me looked down at me with bloodshot eyes atop his wicked mustache and beard.

"Stand back," he said with a sinister glare. "Not a foot closer. Whatever words you carry with you, they are warty with futility. I know you for what you are: a mere mouthpiece of deception. It is of no use. The Advocate knows the tree belongs to the Ring."

 _So, these are the intruders the Advocate tried to get us to fight. Looks like we were going to end up fighting them anyway._

"Oh, you don't have to worry about the Advocate," I said with a mischievous smile. "He was small potatoes in my line of work. I have his head right here if you want to admire my skill as a demon hunter."

"Silence!" the cultist shouted. "Alignment means nothing. This tree is ours. You'd do your best to stay out of the way, lest you desire your own death."

"Funny," I said. "When I arrive on this island, I had the slightest fear that my own death would be at the hands of a vile demon who'd collect my soul to torment for the rest of eternity. But it looks like I'll have to settle for a simple death at the hands of has-been cultists."

The fire in his eyes blazed as he readied to attack me. But before he could, his attention was taken when his fellow cultists shouted. He looked behind to see my three companions emerge.

I smirked before I inhaled. I unleashed my fireball from my mouth, and it landed square into the cultist's chest. He was engulfed in flames, but he wasn't dead. I anticipated this and readied my lightning strike on him. But before I could bring my arm forward and fire the lightning, I felt a rumble in the ground next to me. It broke my concentration as I turned my head toward the rumble. Emerging from the ground was a bone widow: an amalgamation of many creatures' remains morphed into a hulking brute.

 _Okay. A little unforeseen factor. But nothing I can't handle._

I quickly unfurled my wings and beat them against the ground to dash out of the widow's reach. When I looked back at the Black Ring caster, I saw half of his body was burned away but he still stood strong. He raised his wand and from it a swarm of tiny insects emerged. It was a mosquito swarm. Hundreds of the tiny bugs would swarm their target and inflict tiny wounds that could grow into larger ones. Thinking quickly, I channeled my source and my Dome of Protection was erected just as the mosquitos slammed into it and were vaporized. But the dome couldn't keep out the Bone Widow. I backed out of the Dome just in time, keeping it between me and the caster. Just as the dome dissipated, I launched myself into the air and took aim at the caster. I unleashed my Ice Fan and all three shards of ice landed into him. When I landed, he was frozen solid. I ignited my whip and slashed it into the middle of the human's abdomen. His entire body was then broken in half. From behind me, the bone widow lunged. But as soon as it was upon me, the monster fell apart. The scattered bones bounced off my shield falling harmlessly to the ground. From the other corners of the tree, I saw the others had dealt with their respective opponents. We were in the clear. We came together to assess everyone's condition.

"Everyone okay?" I asked.

"Not a scratch," Sebille said. The other simply nodded.

"Good," I said.

I slowly turned my attention to the tree that stood in the middle of the nexus. The others stood quietly behind me as I stepped closer to examine the tree. I could see the same bloody puss enveloping most of the trunk of the tree. But it seemed the puss was coming _from_ the tree itself. I watched as the puss slowly flowed out of the tree like blood flowing from a heart into the bloodstream. I closed my eyes and spoke the words. When I opened my eyes, I saw the ghostly spirt of the tree envelop the bark under the puss. I could hear it speak.

"Kwih manduhkad umnio myrdus ects, it kwot potest ezse!"

It was a language even I was unfamiliar with. The Black Ring were trying to understand it but were unsuccessful. But I knew the name of the Elven ancestor within. Perhaps…

"Eleanessa!" I shouted.

At first, it didn't seem to do anything. But soon after, I felt it: Clarity.

"You speak my name," a ghostly feminine voice spoke. It was a voice filled with painful exhaustion. Like a soul who was tortured for so long, it barely had enough energy to speak.

"Yes," I said to her. "I know your story. You were a sick elf who had a dark entity inside her. Daeya tried to exercise it from you instead of locking you away in a vault. But it killed you and you were buried here."

There was a pause between me and the spirit. When she replied, she did so with a tone of regret.

"That is only the story of those who witnessed my tragedy. The truth is far worse."

"Please, tell us. You can help us save lot of people if you tell us what really happened."

"Very well," Eleanessa said. There was another pause. Most likely to prepare herself and the rest of us of her tragic story.

"Call it what you want: Naivety, stupidity. I wished to put the Source within me to good use, and demonology seemed as good a use as any. Silly me. I meant to summon an imp or two. Instead, I ended up hosting a damned Arch-Demon. The roaring in my head, the craving for living flesh. Urges. Good Gods, the urges: to kill, to hurt. The stronger they became, the harder I fought. And at some point, I was just…gone. Deadened, but not dead. And then, awake. On an isle I'd never been, encircled by faces I'd never seen, watched by a man I'd never known. They called him doctor. He shouted strange words and the demon bellowed. Then one by one…I…"

The spirit seemed to choke on her words.

"They…fell. I watched my own hands slaughter them. I tried to resist, but I… couldn't. And then a final roar, when the demon rushed away and into the only one still standing. The Doctor. That was my last living memory. The demon may be gone, but its disease still infects my roots, birthing evil into the soil."

So Daeya, the Doctor, became possessed by the Arch-Demon after the exorcism. Eleanessa continued.

"But now, you have a chance to end this. You awakened me from my nightmare with a single utterance: my name. How amazing; that a name can wield so much power. Remember this lesson when you leave Bloodmoon Island. The demon blackens another land now. It possesses the very doctor that liberated it. Speak its name, however, and you expose it. You weaken it. You'll know him when you find him. A doctor that accommodates a demon doesn't see patients, only victims. Destroy it, and you free me to the Hall of Echoes. Destroy it, and my roots taint this isle no longer. Now come closer. I'll say the demon's name only once."

I did so. I walked closer and leaned my head to the untainted part of the tree's trunk. I placed my ear against the bark and listened to her harsh whisper.

" _Adramahlihk._ "

I pulled my head away and looked up. The glow of the elven spirit retreated into the tree. There were no more words to be said between us.

" _Adramahlihk,_ " I repeated.

I turned around to the others. Their eyes were a mixture of awe, horror and concern. It was quite the tragic story. But there wasn't anything we could do at this point but to inform our Demon hunting master of our success.

"I say it's time we leave this horrid place once and for all, don't you think?" I said. I pulled out the blue pyramid from my bag and held it in my hands.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Sebille said. She walked behind me and placed her hand on my arm. Ifan and the Red Prince nodded before walking behind me and placing their hands on my shoulders. We were all ready. I looked down at the pyramid before I closed my eyes. I focused my mind on the image of the red pyramid. A moment later, I felt a swirling energy come from the pyramid. I kept my mind focused on the red pyramid. Soon after, the energy surge up my arms throughout my body. I even felt it surge from my scales into the hands of my companions touching me. One moment later, I felt like my entire body was hurtled into a dimension unknown.

* * *

My eyes shot open and I gasped. I heard the rest do the same as I felt their hands leg go of me. I looked down at the pyramid in my hand first before I looked at the ground I now stood on. It wasn't the tainted dark ground of the Bloodmoon Island. Instead it was the sun coated stone of the archway we left the mainland at. I then looked to my left and saw the same statue Sebille hid the pyramid next to. Sebille crouched and took it from under the rock and put it away in her back. I put mine away too.

Sebille then inhaled and sighed deeply.

"So nice to have clean air in your lungs after a trip into a demon's sanctuary, isn't it?"

The rest of us followed her lead and did the same. I felt the clean air of the mainland replace the horrid scent of demons tainting the inside of me. It was so liberating.

"Now that's over with, how's about we deliver the head and name to our demon-hunting master so we can get our show on the road?" Sebille said.

I smirked.

"Off we go," I said. I lead the way back to Jahan's cottage. He was right where we left him. He turned to face us with enthusiastic eyes.

"Ah, how fares the hunt, my friends?" he said.

I took my backpack off and pulled out the blanket. When I unfurled it, I held out the Advocate's head with a prideful smile on my face. From inside the cage, the demons rattled. Though if it was out of fear or anger was to be determined.

"Haha!" Jahan rejoiced. "You've done me proud, young demon hunter. Prouder than you could ever realize."

He took the head from my hands and graciously put it onto a nearby table.

"I know how twisted the paths can get, how much more alluring the sunny glade than the rock-strewn hollows. But you know it's the darkest roads that leads to light."

I grinned at his analogy.

"Speaking of leading to light," I said. "We managed to uncover who your Arch-Demon is."

Jahan raised his brows.

"Do tell me," he said.

I took a deep breath as Eleanessa's story played through my head again.

"He's taken the guise of Doctor Daeva himself. But his real name is Adramahlihk."

Jahan's eyes widened. He brought his finger to his chin to ponder the new revelation.

"Adramahlihk," he said as his eyes wandered the skies. "You have to admire his cunning. To think that in his guise of Daeva he and I shared the finest wines in the realm; stories of the women we have loved."

He looked back at us.

"I sincerely thank you for your efforts, friends," he said with a gracious bow. "For all you've done for me, it's time that I repay you."

He beckoned us closer. He walked next to the cage while all four of us stood in a line before him.

"All life, after all, sustains itself by consumption. Like the grass feeds the herd and the herd feeds the hunter, so you must feed, for instance, on these…"

His hand waved to the cage. Instead of horrific revulsion like what happened with Ryker, I only smirked.

"We've no problem with that," I said. "We've made an agreement amongst ourselves to not consume the souls of people. Demons and voidwoken are very preferable alternatives."

Jahan grinned back at me.

"Are you ready then?" he asked.

"We've been ready the moment we arrived on Reaper's Coast three days ago," I said.

Jahan nodded his head.

"Then let us begin."

Jahan took his stance and spoke many incantations I couldn't make out. Through his words, I felt a pumping. A pumping of blood through my body. Then I heard it.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

With a surge of energy, the screams of the demons were silenced, and I felt their essence flow into me in its purest form. I felt my heart trying to expand again. But my heart was already at the largest it could be. There was no more room to expand. Instead, the energy twisted on itself until it became basic source. That source filled the gaps in my heart until I felt I was full once again.

When I opened my eyes, I looked to see the demons in the cage were reduced to bones. I looked at the others. They had the same expression I had. I looked over at Jahan. He slowly nodded his head with an appreciative smile on his face.

"That is all," he said. "Their suns have set to serve a greater dawn. The world awaits your true awakening."

My mind hung on his last word.

 _Awakening._

When I listened in, I could feel the calling of Zorl-stissa again. Then I looked over at Ifan.

"You feel it?" I asked him. He looked down at his hands for a moment before he replied.

"Yes," Ifan said. "I think we're all ready."

We all looked at Jahan. He still wore his prideful smile.

"It was my honor to assist you, friends," he said with a bow. "However, I fear this is where we must part ways. Your path lies with the journey to gain your power. My path is to confront the arch-demon in his lair, in the great city of Arx."

First, it was the Dwarven Queen planning an attack with Deathfog. Now there's an Arch-Demon hidden within tainting it's unsuspecting inhabitance. Arx really does seem to be enduring the worst nowadays.

"I bid you luck, Jahan," I walked up and shook his hand. "May the world be a better place with your bravery."

"As I wish for you," Jahan smiled in kind. "Though I've only learned of your existence this day, I can already see the makings of a fine Divine within you."

I raised my brows.

"Well, thank you, Jahan. I hope to see you again once this is finished."

"As do I," he said. He bowed again. "I fare thee well."

He turned around and retreated into the shack to prepare for his long journey ahead. I turned to the others and we departed. Once we were a good distance back in the Clousterwood, we stopped and put our bags to the ground.

"One last time," I said.

"Hopefully it _will be_ the last time," the Red Prince said.

I chuckled. I pulled the lance and bowl from my bag while Ifan produced the Blackroot he plucked earlier. Like last time, we sat around the bowl as I added the blackroot and a sample of my blood into it. After I ignited it, we inhaled the fumes and coughed our way back into the plane our gods were waiting for us in.

* * *

Everything seemed to be as they were before. But what caught me off guard was that Zorl-stissa was on her knees now. Her eyes were closed, and her neck was bent. She twitched erratically, like she was stuck in a nightmare. I kneeled and shook her shoulders.

"Wake up! Wake up!" I said to her. She opened her eyes slowly. Her expression of fear from her nightmare slowly morphed into a face of comfort; like an ill mother seeing the face of her child for the first time in years.

"My…my Champion," she spoke in a whisper. She brought her hand and caressed my face. I could feel her tremble through her shaking hand. "You positively brim with Source. You are ready."

She tried to stand but she was too weak. I helped her to her feet. Once she was, she composed herself and I took a step back. She spoke again with more composer.

"The void is closing in. We've little time left. You must reach the well and ascend."

"But where is the well?" I asked.

"It is at the Heart of the Nameless Isle. It is a place no-one can reach unless their soul becomes their compass."

She then reached out and placed her trembling hand on my heart. I felt a coursing energy come from her hand and flow into my heart. From within my mind, I could see Rivellon. A map of Rivellon. But it wasn't on a piece of paper. It was Rivellon, living and breathing. I saw the distant lands of the Ancient Empire across the vast ocean. I saw the secluded island of Fort Joy. I saw the coastal city of Driftwood and the neighboring regions we visited in the last three days. Then I saw a glowing speck in the ocean far from Fort Joy and Driftwood. I suddenly started falling. But for some reason, I didn't scream. Instead, I felt my body glide through the air like I had invisible wings. Once I had broken through the clouds, the glowing speck disappeared, and my body gently floated to the surface of the ocean below. My body hovered over the waves. I looked up to see an island. An island with a volcano spewing lava on one half of its mass while the other half was covered in ancient ruins.

I gasped and found myself standing before Zorl-stissa again. I felt the image of the Island burned into my head. If I looked at a map of Rivellon, I would know exactly where the island would be.

"Your heart knows where you must go," Zorl-stissa spoke. "Now you must ensure you are the one and no one else."

I narrowed my brows and gave her a suspicious look.

"If you are saying I need to betray my friends now, I've made my own decisions and they've brought me this far. I'll be the judge of what will happen to them."

Zorl-stissa's eyes narrowed at me. At first, I thought she was going to reprimand me for not agreeing with her. But instead, she simply nodded her head.

"I will only warn you once that the other gods and their chosen will try to outflank us just like we must outflank them. But you've proven yourself worthy through your actions so far. I only hope you will not fail us in the end."

I felt the world around me rattle and I saw Zorl-stissa fall to her knees again. I moved to help her, but she held up her hand to stop me.

"Time runs short my champion," she said with a weakened voice. "I will be with you. I will guide you; stand by you. I will watch as you drink from the Wellspring, and as its Source surges into you. The void will be overcome, and you will be the god of gods. The end is nigh. Don't fail us now!"

* * *

I gasped and coughed back into reality once again. All around me, the others did the same. Once everyone breathed normal air again, we looked at each other. From within my head, the image of the Nameless Island's location still burned. I knew exactly where it was.

"Quite a predicament the gods have put us in, isn't it?" the Red Prince said.

Sebille snorted.

"I've no real concern for the gods," she said. "We've made it this far with help of each other, not the gods."

The Red Prince smirked.

"My thoughts exactly," he said.

I stood up first followed by the others.

"Well regardless, we know where we need to go," I said. "I say it's time we head back to the Lady Vengeance and set course."

Ifan looked over at me with a smile on his face.

"Right there with you," he said.

With that, we were off.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** IT'S DONE! IT'S OVER! Now I can move on to the parts of the story I really want to write about. (That's not to say I didn't enjoy writing anything during the Driftwood arc. Chapters 24, 28, 34, 35 and 36 were very big highlights for me. But I'm really looking forward to the parts I have planned for the Nameless Isle and especially Arx.)

I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who's stuck around with me either since the near beginning or even recently. The DOS2 Fanfiction Community isn't as popular so it feels more special to hear the feedback of those few individuals who want to delve deeper into the world of one of the greatest RPGs of the last decade. Hopefully we can attract more people to play the game and in-turn join our community to share and express our passion for this great series. (A big thank you to Angry Joe for reviewing Divinity Dragon Commander all those years ago to introduce me to the Divinity IP and later allowing me to back DOS2 on Kickstarter.)

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

"My, my… you've been causing quite a stir, Godwoken," Malady said as we arrived back on the Lady Vengeance an hour before sunset.

"You mean with our run-ins with the Magisters, battles with the Voidwoken, or our confrontation with demons?" I said.

"A… combination of the three, actually," Malady pondered. She then eyed me inquisitively. "I'm going to assume you've completed your little to do list here on Reaper's Coast. You absolutely brim with Source."

"We sure do," I said. "And the gods had the courtesy to give us the location of the Nameless Isle."

I pulled out a map and pointed to the exact location that was burned into my mind: far north of Fort Joy and northwest of Reaper's Coast. Malady squinted at the spot under my nail. She grinned smugly.

"There's no time to lose then," she said. "We'll set course immediately if you haven't any last-minute errands to run here in Driftwood."

I closed my eyes and ran through everything. We honored Meister Siva's request and left her alone when we passed through Driftwood. Ifan checked on Lohar and said he already sent a band of his people to travel with Beast to Arx to stop Queen Justina. The Red Prince had the Source books we took from the Bloodmoon Archive. Finally, Ifan had the pieces of Anathema for Tarquin.

"We have everything we need," I said.

"Splendid," Malady looked down the length of the ship. "All hands are accounted for. So, it's time we have a change of scenery. If things go smoothly, we should arrive at the Isle by midday tomorrow."

Malady took ahold of the wheel. The Lady Vengeance rattled as the anchor was hoisted from the sea below and the sails were unfurled. With grace, the ship turned around and proceeded out of the cove into the open sea. The four of us, watched from the railing as the port of Driftwood slowly passed our view. In a few moments, it would become a blip on the horizon and disappear.

"Mahalia!"

I turned around to see the three children running towards me. They must have been inside the ship and headed up when they felt the ship started to move. I walked over and knelt to give them all a large hug. From the corner of my eye, I watched as the Red Prince walked down the stairs while Ifan walked over to Tarquin who was enthusiastically waiting for the delivery of Anathema.

"I'm so happy to see you again," I said to the children once our hug was finished. "How are you all doing?"

"I'm great," Trice said.

"Me too," Sandy said.

I looked over at Paulie.

"Are you doing okay, Paulie?"

"Better now that you're here," Paulie said with a gentle but very hopeful smile. "Whenever you're around, I always feel brave."

"Well I'm happy knowing you're okay," I said. "All of you."

Everyone grinned. Sandy glanced over at the waters as the Lady Vengeance pulled further away from Driftwood.

"Are we leaving Driftwood now?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. "We finished our adventures here and now we're going to the Nameless Isle to complete our quest for Divinity."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"You mean we're going to the place where you'll become the next Goddess?" Sandy asked.

I felt a lump in my throat hearing him say I was going to be the one.

"Well… we've yet to determine who'll become the next Divine. Only one of us can be it after all."

"Well, if there has to only be one, it should be you," Trice said.

I raised my eyebrows.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you are the nicest and bravest person in the world," Trice replied. "You'd be able to do incredible things to help the world be a better place."

I was silent for a moment, trying to come up with something to say.

"Well, w-what about Ifan?" I said stumbling on my words. "He's nice and brave, isn't he?"

All three children looked behind them just as Ifan handed over the shards of Anathema to Tarquin. The necromancer retreated hastily into the ship while Ifan slowly strolled down the steps after him, most likely looking for some place quiet. When he was out of view, the three children looked over at me.

"He is nice and brave," Sandy said. "If two people could be become Divine, you and he would be perfect gods to protect the world."

My eyes widened.

"Well… I thank you for the kind words," I said. "But I think it's time we head downstairs and have a spot of dinner don't you think?"

The children were about to reply but I felt a hand on my shoulder, and someone clear her throat next to me. I looked up.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Sebille said with her smug smile. She then rolled her shoulders back and forth in a flapping motion. My eyebrows shot up.

 _Of course!_

How could I have forgotten? I would have shown them yesterday when we returned, but it wasn't the best time after I had to be the barer of bad news for Paulie.

"What? What is it?" the children's excitement grew.

"I'll show you," I said with a smile. I stood up and took a step back. Sebille then walked behind the children and pulled them back a few steps. She gave me a wink. I closed my eyes and inhaled. I felt the magic serge from my shoulder blades. I widened my stance and felt the magic emerge from my body. I stretched my wings wide open and felt them graze the winds that filled the Lady Vengeance's sails.

I opened my eyes to see exactly what I expected. All three children's eyes and mouths were so wide I thought their eyeballs or jaws would fall out. They tried to speak but the only sound they made were speechless murmurs. Trice was the first to get her words back.

"A-are…are you a… a d-dragon, now?"

I felt myself blush.

"Not quite," I said. I held up my amulet and pointed to the blue gem. "I found this new gem two days ago. Now I can fly short distances and breath ice."

The children remained speechless and kept their eyes glued to my wings. Sebille managed to take them out of their trance by placing her hands on their shoulders. All three of them turned around to face her.

"Now that she has wings, would you like to fly with her?" she asked.

All three of them squealed and immediately turned around to run to me. But Sebille stepped in front of them. All three of them stopped.

"One at a time, young ones" she said. She looked them over several times until her eyes rested on Trice. "I believe Trice should go first. She is the one who loves dragons the most after all."

Trice squealed in glee while Paulie and Sandy said "aw!"

"Don't worry you two," Sebille said. "You'll have your turn."

The two boys nodded begrudgingly. Meanwhile, Sebille stepped to the side allowing Trice to scamper over to me. I kneeled to her level.

"Put your arms around my neck and hold on tight," I said.

She did so and put her small hands around the base of my neck. I held her firmly against my chest as I stood up.

"Here we go."

Trice held her breath. I bent my knees and jumped as hard as I could. I heard Trice gasp. As I beat my wings. I felt her body shake, not in fear, but in excitement. I felt this was as close she was going to get to flying with a dragon. But I had a feeling she was very happy either way. I kept flapping my wings and glided around the ship until I gracefully landed back onto the deck. I loosened my hold on Trice and she let go of me. She backed away and looked into my eyes.

"Did you have fun?" I asked.

"It's what I've always wanted to do," she said with a very big smile on her face. "Thank you, Mahalia."

"You're very welcome," I nodded and patted her on the head. She walked back to the boys. It was Paulie's turn and soon after, Sandy had his go. Once my flight with Sandy ended, the sun was setting. We retreated into the ship and for the rest of the evening, we ate our dinner and told the children of our adventures on Reaper's Coast; minus the few unsettling and mature details they weren't ready for.

* * *

We slept peacefully that night. No attacking ship woke us up. But I did remember Ifan gasping awake in the middle of the night. I imagined it was a nightmare about what happened to his elven family. When morning came, he secluded himself to the workshop and worked tirelessly on maintaining his bow and looking through his new Source book. Some part of me wanted to talk to him again. But the other part told me it wouldn't do anything. I already did what I could for him. It was up to him to deal with his grief. I just hoped he would find his way before we arrived at the Isle within the next six hours according to Malady.

I decided to use that time wisely along with the others. While the Red Prince practiced his sparing on training dummies and Sebille practiced her acrobatics in the cargo hold, I sat alone in the mess hall and read through my three Source books quietly. With Tarquin occupying the State's Room for his work on Anathema, the mess hall was the last quiet place to read in. The children were up top playing ball with Han and under the watchful eye of Gareth.

The material in the books were fascinating. Growing up in the Empire, the amount of Source I could muster was limited to only small uses of alchemy and my Dome of Protection. But within these books, I came across spells that were far more powerful than any of the standard spells I learned from the books I bought from the Driftwood market. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to practice them because I needed to conserve my source for the battles that lay ahead. But If I remembered the incantations, I wouldn't have a problem casting them in the field of battle.

After about an hour looking through the pages, I took my nearby mug of water and brought it to my lips. But I paused before I took a sip. I looked down at the liquid while I listened to the silence around me. My eyes shifted to my right to look down at my wand on my hip. Then, I jerked the mug over my shoulder, sending the liquid into the air. I heard a splash and a yip. I casually looked behind me to see a familiar face of the person who's hand almost snatched my wand.

"You're becoming very perceptive," Sebille said with her face and hair drenched.

"Either that, or you're starting to lose your touch," I retorted with a mocking grin. Sebille hummed a chuckle before reaching for some nearby napkins to dry her face. She then walked around the table and sat on the opposite side of me. I closed the book I was reading and slid it aside.

"Taking a break from the Source learning?" I asked.

"You could say that," Sebille said. A brief silence followed. Then a thought popped into my head.

"You know, I didn't have a chance to mention this last night," I said. "You were pretty good with the children yesterday."

Her eyes wandered to her right in a reflective manor.

"Yeah, I guess I was," she said.

I tilted my head when she looked back at me.

"Did you not expect to be?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes down to the table. She sighed.

"When you forget the life you once had and have your current life be molded into one of a killer, you'd never assume to be able to connect to other people. Especially children."

Hearing her say that felt haunting. But from that haunted sentence, I felt a tinge of hope.

"Well, when this is over, maybe you can start over and connect to others. Maybe have a peaceful life without having to kill again."

Her eyes wandered to the nearby window as she pondered.

"I suppose that's one path I can take," she said. "I haven't put much thought about what I want to do after I'm rid of the Master."

Her voice suddenly took a darker tone.

"All I could ever think about ever since that moment I escaped his clutches was finding him and driving my needle into his throat."

She paused. She moved her eyes away from the window and looked directly at me.

"But now that I think about it, what I want to be afterwards seems more complicated. The Mother Tree, Divinity. It seems I'm not going to be as free as I once thought I would be."

The reminder of the Mother Tree gave me an unsettling feeling in my stomach. But the mention of Divinity caught my attention.

"I… get the feeling you're not very fond about Divinity, aren't you?" I asked.

Sebille shook her head.

"The prospect of Divinity makes me think," she said. "Is it a blessing or a burden? Would we be truly omnipotent, or merely the servants of an unruly universe, as desperate for control as we are now? Moreover: would we still be ourselves? If I were the one to ascend, would I remain Sebille, or would my mortal soul die upon gaining divine immortality?"

She looked over at me awaiting my answer. It took me a moment to do so.

"I… honestly don't know." I said. "I guess we'll just have to find out when the time comes."

Sebille cracked a smile.

"Take the plunge and don't look back, huh? As good a plan as any, I guess."

I chuckled even though I didn't find anything about what we were talking about funny. She did too before she sighed deeply.

"Such a silly game we play. To be a god. It's quite wasted on mortals if you ask me. We are all of us too blemished to become immaculate."

I couldn't do anything except think about what she said. One of us was going to become the sole god of this world. One out of four highly flawed individuals. What was going to happen once we drank from the well? Would we be ourselves and only have more power. Or would we run the risk of making choices like what Lucian did to Ifan and the Elves? But at the same time, somebody had to do it. If there were no Divine, the Godking and Voidwoken would overwhelm and destroy our very existence.

"Listen um…"

I lifted my head to Sebille when she broke the silence between us.

"I don't want to keep the mood down, but actually came to you because I really need to talk to you about something."

I tilted my head.

"About what?" I asked.

She didn't respond immediately. Instead she closed her eyes and inhaled. Keeping her eyes closed, she started to hum a song. The melody sounded beautiful, yet somehow menacing. Then, she opened her mouth and started to sing.

" _Sebille, sh'ialyinou. Sebille, na charlen de'vot."_

She opened her eyes when the tune ended. My entire body froze. A chill ran down my spine. The blood drained from my limbs and my heart sank.

"That's…" I spoke hauntedly. "That's your slave song, isn't it?"

Sebille glanced down at the table shamefully for a moment.

"I truly believe you're a good person who wants to do good things," she said. "But In my situation, I can't defeat the Master alone. As soon as I get close, he only needs to utter a note, and I'm his again. Unless…"

"…someone else sings," I finished. She nodded.

"I mean it when I say you're the best friend I've ever had. That's why I'm placing my life and liberty into your hands. But I won't force you to do this. I know how much this sort of thing disgusts you. It's your choice."

I felt the words of Sebille's request weighing on me. She had given me the very thing that would allow me to enslave her. I had the power to do to her what the Master did to her. I remembered the shameful taste the song left in my mouth when I woke the Lady Vengeance. The songbook was gone, but I could never get rid of the taint the song left on my reptilian tongue. I wanted to be the furthest thing from what Dallis, the Master or even the Red Prince were. But if Sebille, my friend, was to be free, I'd have to do what I never wanted to do ever again.

I stared at the table for a while until I propped my elbow on it. I held my head on my hand and gazed through the window at the cloudless sky.

"Ironic, isn't it?" I sighed. "In every other culture, songs are sung to elicit happiness. Both those who sing and those who listen. But for lizards, songs are sung to elicit dominance. Only those who sing benefit while those who listen suffer."

When I looked over at Sebille again, she pursed her lips while she rubbed her thumb on the back of her palm. I took my elbow off the table and let my head hang down.

"But…" I said softly. "…I can't let my best friend be bound to a monster for the rest of her life."

I took a deep breath and looked up at her.

"I'll sing the song."

A flicker of hope sparked across her eyes.

"Thank you," she said. She adjusted herself, placing both of her hands flat on the table. "You can begin whenever you're ready."

I felt my heart racing. I flexed my fingers while exhaling an uneasy sigh. Eventually, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

" _Sebille, sh'ialyinou. Sebille, na charlen de'vot._ "

I repeated the verse three times until I had the melody down. When the tune rolled off my tongue, I could feel something within me. It was a powerful feeling. A feeling of control. Total control. Control that a lizard master had over their servant.

When I finished my fourth incantation, I opened my eyes and looked at Sebille. She stared at me. My heart sank. At first, I would have thought she had the lifeless look of a silent monk, only without the black hue around her eyes and mouth. But when I looked closer, I could see there was still life in her. But only a small shred of it. Everything else was replaced with a single entity: submission. Absolute submission. To me.

Everything I knew about her. Her smile, her voice, her warmth. All of it was gone. I had taken everything from her.

 _Imagine a black room. It's been your room for years. You know it by touch because it's always dark. You're either in the room or in the box that you travel. You're only left out in the night because you only hunt in the night with the Master's voice in your ears urging you on. And after it's done you lie down in the box once more with wet hands, and mad red thoughts._

I stared at the table for five minutes, keeping my gaze away from her eyes. Eventually, I heard her exhale. I looked up to see her blink slowly and lock her eyes with mine. I could see that she had returned. Everything that I had taken from her in that sparse amount of time was given back. But when the song rung in my head, I could feel the power to easily take it away. All it would take was a note of my tongue, and she would be mine again. I lifted my hand and slowly reached out to her. She didn't move. Only her eyes tracked my hand as it drew closer to her face. I gently traced my nail over the lines of her scar. She closed her eyes as I did so. I felt the soft flesh of her cheek contrast with the rugged blemish of the scar.

This horrible thing was what my race took pride in creating. I wanted so badly to take it off her. If that thing truly lived as the Red Prince said, then I wanted it to die a painful death. But I couldn't do anything to it. It would stay there for the rest of her life. She would always be at the mercy of those who knew the song. And those two people who knew were the Master, and me.

I stopped caressing her cheek and dropped my hand to the table. Sebille opened her eyes and looked at me. When my eyes met hers, my face started to wince, and my eyes started to wet. Sebille sat up from the bench and moved around the table. I immediately did the same. We both fell to our knees and warped our arms around each other. I held my hand against the back of her head as she nestled her cheek into my long neck. I rested my chin atop her head and shed a pair of tears from my eyes. I felt her arms pull me closer, embedding herself deeper into my chest. I could feel her heartbeat and the warmth of her body pass into mine.

She spoke no words. But I knew she forgave me.

"When the time comes," I said. "I will do what I have to. Nothing more. I promise."

"Thank you."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm very happy with how this one turned out. Especially the last exchange between the two girls. I admit, I got rather emotional as I wrote it. Really looking forward to writing about the encounters for next chapter.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

"LAND HO!"

The four of us, along with the children, arrived at the bow of the ship to see our destination. In the distance we could see the outcropping of spires that surrounded a larger land mass. Even thought I couldn't make it out clearly, I knew it was the Nameless Isle. When we got closer, I could see the features I remember from the vision. An active volcano gently spewed lava onto one half of the island. Meanwhile the other half was covered in an overgrowth of foliage along with ruins of temples. Somewhere in the middle of all that was the Council of the Seven. And inside that, the Well of Ascension. The anchor of the Lady Vengeance dropped into the sea bringing the mighty ship to a standstill. Malady walked up to us.

"Here we are: The Nameless Isle."

She wore a cunning smile on her face. She looked out to the island.

"And here I thought 'Malady' was unimaginative. Still, it's what's on the inside that counts, isn't that right?"

She turned her head to us. Her eyes locked onto no one in particular.

"And this is the place one of you is meant to become a god. I can't help but wonder exactly how such power will be used."

Sebille was the one to tilt her head suspiciously.

"Do you have a personal favorite?" she asked.

Malady casually looked down at her fingers, traces of source sparkling from them.

"No one in particular," she said. "But I will admit there's one that is my least favorite."

I kept my eyes from looking over at the Red Prince.

"But that's not important now," she said. "What is important is that you get ashore and find your way into the Council of the Seven."

"Any suggestions on where to find it or how to open it?" I asked her

"I'm afraid I won't be able to help you with that part. Normally, this place is known only by Godwoken."

She looked out to the island again.

"But judging by the ships burning in the bay there's been a… breach, let's call it."

Indeed, there were several ships burning off the shore of the island. Who came here on those ships was anyone's guess.

"Perhaps if there's any survivors, they may know a thing or two," Malady said. "If not, I'm sure you can figure it out by simply exploring and taking carful notes."

Something I was very adept at. Still, it would be nice to know how to find and get into the Council as soon as possible.

"Now, enough _talking_ about how to obtain Divinity. Now's the time to _actually_ obtain Divinity."

Malady stepped to the side and motioned her hand to the lifeboat halfway across the deck.

"Make sure you've got everything you need, and Gareth will take you ashore. I will graciously away your return as the new Divine."

She bowed her head before turning around to retreat to the stairs below decks.

"Does everyone have what they need?" I asked the others.

Everyone checked themselves over, me included. I had my wand on my hip and my shield holstered on my back. My backpack was empty save for a few scrounges of fruit and bread for a snack if I needed it along with my water sack. More importantly, I had the Blue Teleportation Pyramid held in detachable a leather harness strapped to my hip. If I needed to use the pyramid at a moment's notice, all I needed to do was put my hand on it and concentrate on the Red Pyramid Sebille carried. I was ready. Everyone else finished their check and nodded.

"Here we go," I turned around and lead everyone to the lifeboat where Gareth was waiting.

"Ready to go, Mahalia?" Gareth greeted me with a rather chipper demeanor. Much more chipper than I've seen him since we first met less than a week ago.

"I'm uh… sorry about what happened to your family," I said. "I never properly talked to you about it. I thought that it wouldn't be polite of me to reopen old wounds."

"No offence taken," Gareth replied. "And I'm grateful for your kindness. My parents led good lives. I'd rather celebrate them for the love they gave me than to wail over their loss."

His attitude sparked a warm feeling in my heart. But at the same time, I had a nagging feeling about his attitude. Was it a persona he was putting on?

"Well… I'm happy you're okay," I said. I looked over at the lifeboat. "But we'd better not wait any longer."

"Not at all," Gareth said. "Take a seat and I'll take you ashore."

He stepped into the boat and took a hold of winch ready to bring the boat down.

"You go ahead," I told the others. I kneeled to the children as everyone else stepped into the boat.

"This is it, isn't it?" Trice said. "Once you get inside, you'll become a goddess and save the world?"

"That's the plan," I said. "But I'm sure we'll be able to speak again once we're done."

I pondered for a second.

"In fact, once I get back, whether I'm the next Divine or not, my first order of business will be to find you three a safe home and even a family to live with."

The children's eyes widened as they looked at each other.

"Will you be able to visit us once in a while?" Paulie asked me. I grinned.

"I'll do my best to make sure it happens," I said. I held out my hand. "I promise."

The children all put their hands into mine and shook it.

"Good luck, Mahalia," Sandy said.

"Thank you," I said. I stood up and stepped into the boat. I sat down next to Ifan while the Red Prince and Sebille sat across from us. I looked behind at Gareth and nodded.

"Wait!"

Before Gareth released the winch, all five of us looked over at Almira who ran up to us.

"What is it?" I asked her.

She looked over at the island and pointed. We turned our heads. On the beachhead, we could barely make out banners erected around it.

"Those are Black Ring banners," Almira said. "They're here."

We turned our gaze back to her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, as if expanding her senses. Eventually she opened her eyes with realization.

"I know who leads them," Almira said.

"Who?" I asked.

"It's the Sallow Man," she said. The name sounded menacing enough and her face showed a sense of dread. "He's a foul creature, but not opposed to cutting a deal."

"Cutting a deal?" the Red Prince responded. "Are you suggesting we make a deal with the Black Ring? The group you want out of?"

"If things go smoothly, you won't need to make any deal," Almira said. "But if worst comes to worst, he can be reasoned with until you get what you need."

She looked at the banners on the shore again before returning her gaze to us.

"If you come across the Black Ring, you can pose as my thrall and gain safe passage. My name should still command respect among them."

 _A trump card if we need it. Good to have._

"One more thing," Almira hastily said. "I've studied the tablet. It showed me everything I need to know about creating a functional Swornbreaker. If you take some time to investigate the ruins, please retrieve the pieces if you find them. I'll make it worth your while, that I promise."

I looked over at the others. They looked at each other before nodding their heads. I was about to respond but the Red Prince suddenly spoke up.

"Wait. If assembled, can this Swornbreaker be used more than once?"

 _Oh, that's right. Sadha._

If she was indeed sworn to the God King like Almira, then the Red Prince would most certainly want to make sure the tool that could set her free would still be useful after Almira was done with it. Almira pondered for a moment.

"From what I've read, a freshly assembled Swornbreaker has a finite amount of power. But it should have enough to free myself and perhaps be used two or three more times after that."

"Oh, thank goodness," the Red Prince sighed in relief. "We'll make it a priority to find the pieces. You have my word."

He bowed his head and Almira bowed in response

"Thank you," Almira said. "I'll wait for your return with it."

With that, she turned away to return to the company of Mihaly.

"Off we go," Gareth said as he released the winch. The boat slowly slid down the ropes until the hull landed into the water. Once the ropes were released, Gareth took the oars and rowed the boat towards the shore. While he did, I looked down at Ifan sitting next to me. He looked out to the waves of the far beyond. We hadn't talked since last night when we told the children about our adventures. I placed my hand on his shoulder. He turned his head up to look at me with two rather uncertain eyes.

"You ready for this, Ifan?" I asked him. "We're going to need you to be at the top of your game if we're to succeed."

Ifan slowly started nodding his head.

"Yes, yes," he said, sounding a little distracted. "I was… just thinking about the prospect of Divinity."

"Are you wondering what you'd to do if you obtained it?" the Red Prince asked.

"Not quite," Ifan answered. "I've just been thinking about if obtaining Divinity can do the opposite of the mass death caused by the Divine Order. If it doesn't, what good can it be?"

The question did linger in my head.

"Well, I would assume Divinity could be whatever the welder wills it to be," the Red Prince said. "The gods have done bugger all while it's up to one of us mortals to carry the responsibility. Or rather, one of you three."

For a moment, I was surprised hearing the Red Prince exclude himself. But then I realized he was honoring the deal we made. Why did I feel surprised? Did he not promise to stand aside in exchange for helping him find Sadha?

"Well, you're right about one thing," Ifan replied. "The gods may be dead. But we still live. That has to mean something."

"Indeed," Sebille said.

"Yes," I said. Suddenly, Gareth entered the conversation.

"Whoever takes the mantle, know that I have faith you will do the realm proud once you ascend."

"Thanks Gareth," I said. He nodded his head and continued to row.

It wasn't long before we made landfall. One-by-one, we exited the boat onto the sandy shore. We looked up at the ruins that were laced with overgrowth. Somewhere within all of that was the entrance to the Council of the Seven. And we needed to figure out how to gain entrance to it.

"Good luck," Gareth said standing by the boat. We nodded and proceeded inland.

Once the beach was behind us, we came across the first warning signs of danger on the island. Around were several Black Ring banners like Almira had pointed out. Not only that, but there were several mangled bodies scattered around. Some were of the Black Ring. But others were…

"Magisters," Ifan kneeled examining one of the corpses.

"But how?" the Red Prince said. "I was under the impression only Godwoken could find this place."

"Don't know," Ifan said. "Perhaps we should find out."

We proceeded inland further to see more signs of battle. More magisters bodies and more Black Ring corpses littered the ground. But when we climbed to the top of a flight of steps, we were greeted by the sight of a still alive Magister training his bow directly at me. I had my hand on my wand. But before I drew it, my eyes widened along with the Magister.

"Del?"

The Magister we rescued at Fort Joy was standing there in the flesh. He lowered his bow with his mouth hanging open.

"My Fort Joy savior!" he said. "I never thought I'd clap eyes on you again."

"Neither did I," I said. "What are you doing here? Or rather, how did you get here?"

Del looked down at a corpse at his feet. It was the body of another Magister. His former comrade most likely.

"There's been unrest in the Divine Order," he explained. "We've been forced to take sides. The White Magisters are still loyal to Dallis and her servant Vredeman. But I've decided to join the loyalists."

I raised an eyebrow.

"And who exactly are you loyal to?"

"Bishop Alexander."

I felt a surge of shock in my core. I looked at the others. All of them, especially Ifan, were shocked too.

"He's alive?" I asked Del. "How?"

"I was just as bamboozled when I first heard about it," Del said. "But he was the one who guided us here. He's like a different man, now that he's found the path to Divinity."

Ifan stepped in front of me with a discerning glare locked on Del.

"And now you're following him?" Ifan said. "Even after everything that's happened at Fort Joy?"

"I never thought I'd follow him," he replied. "But he won over us veterans, magister and paladin alike."

Now Paladins were following Alexander? Would Paladin Cork change his allegiance at the flip of a hat as much as Del did? I could sense a swelling rage from within Ifan when I looked down at him. His old wounds were surely reopened. I feared he would go berserk at any moment.

"Where is Alexander?" I stepped forward and asked Del.

"He's safe at the temple of Tir-Cendelius," Del said. He looked down at body of his fallen comrade. "We were meant to scout this part of the island, but the Black Ring ambushed us. I'm the only survivor."

I looked down at his fallen comrade. Then I thought about the bigger picture. We still didn't know how to get into the Council of the Seven and Alexander was still alive. Perhaps…

"Well, as someone who's grateful for helping us escape," I said. "I'd like to make sure you get to safety. Do you know the way back to the temple?"

Del looked behind him through the canopy. In the distance, we could see the tops of a massive tree. It looked very similar to an Elven ancestor tree like in the Cullwoods. That was appropriate for the Temple of Tir-Cendelius since he was the god of the Elves.

"I don't know if the route we traveled is safe anymore," Del said. "But you can count on my bow in any fights to come."

"Hopefully it won't come to that," I said. "Lead the way."

He nodded. He kneeled and closed the eyes of his fallen comrade and gave a final prayer for him. Afterwards, he stood up and proceeded up the ruined roads while I followed closely beside him. As we walked, I looked behind me at Ifan and the others. I could see lingering anger in Ifan's eyes, while the other two had eyes that told me 'what are you doing?' Without saying a word, I gave a look that I hoped they would interpret as 'Trust me.'

We kept our mouths shut as we continued to walk through the ruins built around the island. The architecture was like that of the obelisks and artifacts we've come across in the Black Pits and even the metallic structures in the Hall of Echoes. But without the dark green atmosphere thanks to the sun shining down on us. The innocent scholar within me, or what was left of her, oozed with desire to stay and examine this place. But then again, we probably were going to if we were to find a way into the Council of the Seven and find the pieces of the Swornreaker. But our priority was to get Del to safety and confront Alexander.

After nearly half an hour of walking, we arrived at the base of the temple without any encounters from the Black Ring. Like from what we saw all the way back where we met Del, the temple was a massive elven ancestor tree. Built into it were several platforms made of large leaves and connecting bridges made of branches. A true haven for elves.

However, the entrance to the temple wasn't inviting when we saw a familiar set up. Four shriekers hung from crosses flanking the entrance with several liquified corpses of Black Ring laying before them. None of us said a word about the set up.

"Don't worry," Del said. "There's a back entrance, follow me."

We turned away from the horrific scene to follow Del to another spot below a platform leaf too high to reach. He then whistled a cryptic tune while looking up. Shortly after, a wad of vines unfurled from above and hung down for us. Del climbed first followed by me then the others. When I emerged at the top, I saw Del standing in front of an elven man. He eyed me.

"Who is this?" the elf asked Del.

"Old acquaintances who helped me out of a bind a few days ago," Del said. "They wanted to get me to safety."

When the elf looked over at me again, Sebille had pulled herself up. His eyes widened.

"The Prime Scion is here," the elf said graciously. "You must meet with the Scion of the Mother Tree immediately."

 _Uh-oh._

When I looked over at Sebille, she was just as shocked as I was. The Temple of Tir-Cendelius was also the Great Mother Tree of the Elves. I kicked myself for not recognizing this sooner. When I remembered our encounter where Sebille learned the truth about herself, it looked like Saheila's prediction of Sebille's path crossing with the Mother Tree's turned out to be true after all. For the briefest moment, I didn't know what to say. But Sebille responded just as Ifan and the Red Prince emerged from below.

"I will report to the Scion when I'm ready," Sebille spoke with confidence. She looked over at Ifan then at me. "First, we have some business with Bishop Alexander."

The elf looked at Sebille with some discerning eyes. But he didn't do anything beyond that.

"Make it quick. The Mother Tree has little time left."

With that, the elf walked away. When we looked over at Del, he had an eyebrow raised.

"What do you intend to do with Alexander?" he asked.

Though I couldn't believe Del of all people would side with Alexander after what happened at Fort Joy, I knew that any confrontation would cause bloodshed I really did not want to happen.

"We're looking to find a way into the Council of the Seven," I said. "We're hoping Alexander knows of a way."

Del looked at the others suspiciously.

"Why do you want that?" he asked.

I sighed.

"Do you want the truth?" I said.

"Of course, I do," Del said.

I took a deep breath.

"After you helped us escape Fort Joy, we banded together with the Seekers. Shortly after, just before we left the island, we discovered we were Godwoken."

Del's brows creased.

"You? Godwoken?"

"Of course," Sebille said. "How else would we have found this island if we weren't?"

Del's eyes shifted left and right nervously.

"It's just that… Alexander-"

"Is just one of many," Ifan said. I could sense the underlying menace in his voice. "The gods have chosen their respective champions. Rahlic chose me. Tir-Cendelius chose her. Zorl-stissa chose them."

I could sense the building tension between Ifan and Del. Things could get pretty messy very quickly.

"Listen," I said to Del. "I know this is confusing, but we need to speak with Alexander to see if he can help us into the Council of the Seven. Regardless of who's Godwoken or not, the world needs to have one of us to ascend to godhood. Otherwise, Rivellon will fall to the Voidwoken. So, I'm asking, as repayment for escorting you to safety, please let us see Alexander. I promise, we will not spill any blood in this temple."

Del's eyes shifted between the four of us with plenty of conflict in his mind. He twirled his fingers nervously. Eventually, he sighed.

"Okay," Del said. "You saved my life once before. I have a feeling I can trust you. Follow me."

With that, Del turned and led us up a branch to a platform up above. On it, several elves stood around. Not only that, there were priests of all races. Lizard. Human. Dwarf. Were they priests of their respective race's temples? I didn't have the time to ask. Several eyes turned our way.

"These souls have business with His Holiness," Del announced. Most of the eyes reverted but some still were kept on us. We kept following Del up to a larger platform deeper within the branches of the Tree. Eventually, we found ourselves on a leaf with a flight of steps leading to a larger platform. When we climbed the steps, what was set up there was what could be described as an outdoor throne room. A small archway stood over what seemed to be a throne made of branches. Flanking it were a dozen soldiers, Magisters and Paladins alike. In the center, on the throne, was a human man.

It was him. Bishop Alexander in the flesh. Most certainly not dead. Unlike the last time we saw him alive, he had no Source collar on. He held his staff by his side. It emanated with a flowing light that seemed to physically embrace those around him. Like the comfort of a loved one hugging them. It was an aura of faith, strengthening their resolve.

When the five of us approached, Alexander turned his head to us. The guards did so too. Del stopped and we did too, standing a good twenty feet away from the Bishop. He stood from his throne.

"Magister Del," the Bishop said. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Your Holiness," Del graciously bowed. "These people saved my life. They wished to seek your audience to help in unlocking the Council of the Seven."

Alexander looked over at the four of us. At first his gaze was one of disbelief. Then it transformed to pondering.

"Is that so?" Alexander said. "I appreciate your honesty, Magister Del. I will speak with these individuals about the current situation. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, your Holiness," Del said with another bow. He gave us a thankful nod before he retreated down the steps. It was only the four of us, Alexander and his dozen bodyguards now in this makeshift throne room.

"I must say I am surprised to see the likes of you again, Sourcerers," Alexander said. I took a step forward and did the talking.

"We can same thing about you. You must have a real blessing from Rahlic if he granted you a second life."

"My survival only proves my worthiness to follow my father's footsteps," Alexander said. "The traitors, Dallis and Vredeman sought to hinder my Godwoken powers. They even tried to kill me when I confronted them after my return from the Hall of Echoes. Now that I am free of their influence, I can now ascend and fulfill my calling."

Before I could say anything to respond to the man's ego, Ifan shoved passed me.

"WHY DID YOU DO IT?!"

He stood in front of me as the Magisters and Paladins drew their weapons. I gasped and instinctively put a hand on my wand but didn't draw it. Alexander raised a hand.

"At ease, comrades," he said. "Let him speak. But if he takes one step closer, don't haste."

The Bishop's guards did as they were told. They sheathed their weapons but kept their hands in relaxed ready position. I let go of my wand and relaxed my body. But I still felt a wad of tension in me. I stepped to the right to the see the side of Ifan's face. His gaze beamed directly at Alexander. I could see an imaginary fire burning between them threatening to spread to everyone else at a moment's notice.

"Why did you and Lucian send me on a suicide mission to kill the elves?!" Ifan shouted. "Why did you lie to me?!"

"Why?" Alexander replied. "The same reason we did everything: to protect the realm. What price is all of Rivellon against just one portion? Any Divine would do the same if it meant saving everything."

I could feel Ifan's body burning hotter as the Bishop continued.

"You should be proud my father picked you: his best right-hand man. He knew you would make it. But he also knew that if he told you the truth, you would falter. He knew you well, Ifan. He knew you'd have to be tricked."

Ifan's fists tightened. I felt he was going to explode at any moment. My eyes shifted around at the dozen guards around the Bishop.

"But I'm his son. I can be trusted to the end. And I will take any actions necessary, for the good of all. Nothing can stop me. Not even death!"

A silence followed. Ifan's gaze was frozen on Alexander for several long seconds. Everyone was quiet. Eventually, Ifan turned his head to look at me with a seething gaze. I felt my heart race in my chest. He shook his head and returned his gaze to the Bishop. He flexed his hand.

"Death stops everyone eventually," he said coldly. "You rose from the dead once. You won't rise this time."

In a flash, Ifan drew his crossbow. The Magisters and Paladins drew their weapons. But no one, not even Ifan, attacked. Instead, everyone was frozen with their weapons drawn. Ifan's eyes were wide in surprise.

"What are you doing?"

I stood between Ifan and Alexander. He kept his crossbow trained on me, aiming for Alexander on the other side. But I didn't move. I only narrowed my eyes at Ifan when I gave my answer.

"Making sure the man I care about does not give in to revenge."

Ifan's body shook. The words I spoke seemed to slam into him. I could see the anger in his eyes slowly start to dim and his grip on his crossbow shook. His eyes shifted between me and Alexander.

"But he-"

"This isn't about him," I cut him off. "This is about you."

Once again, his body shuttered from the words I said.

"You're a better man than he is. Better than the Magisters. Better than the Lone Wolves. And I will not lose that man here today."

I should have felt embarrassed confessing these things in front of these people. But I didn't. Everything I said was what I wanted to say. I wanted him to know what I felt and why I wanted him to stop. He continued to stare at me with his green eyes. His grip on his crossbow tightened. His body was a storm conflicting emotion. Anger. Sadness. Regret. Too many for anyone to comprehend. He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. His body tensed so hard I expected him scream in rage like he did twice already yesterday.

But he didn't.

Instead, he exhaled and relaxed his body. He lowered his crossbow and held it by his side. There was no more anger in him. When he looked up at me, his eyes were those of a sad dog: guilty, exhausted and full of remorse. For a while, we stared at each other. Eventually, he turned around. He walked past Sebille and the Red Prince down the steps, leaving the rest of us with Alexander and his guards.

"I must say I am surprised," Alexander said. I turned around to face him directly. "I never expected a lizard to be so… compassionate towards others not of their kin. Never mind having affection for one."

I felt no embarrassment or shame. Nor did I feel a persona put over me. I replied with how I truly felt: calm, firm and resolute.

"Not all lizards are monsters," I replied crossing my arms. "Lizards are mortals like everyone else. Like all mortals, we have a choice to have empathy."

Alexander raised a brow.

"A commendable trait," he said. "But it is not the only trait that the Divine needs to achieve-"

"I don't care about who's more entitled to Divinity," I said firmly. "All I care about is opening the Council of the Seven. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can save what's left of Rivellon. Now, do you know how to get inside or not?"

For a moment, Alexander was taken aback from my reply. But he regained his composure and replied.

"Indeed, I do. The entrance to the Council can be found at the Temple at the foot of the mountain. But it requires a trick to open the door. Fortunately, I have the knowledge to do so. But with the Black Ring infesting the island, we cannot proceed until the threat is dealt with."

"Am I sensing you want us to go off and kill their leader, the Sallow Man?" I asked.

"You are correct," Alexander said.

"Well, that's convenient because we have a little card up our sleeve to allow us safe passage through Black Ring patrols."

"You'll need more than that," Alexander said. "My father faced the Sallow Man in the Great War. He's a wicked creature; a master of illusion who hides in the shadows and sends others to do his bidding."

Alexander then produced an old cowl from his robs. He brought it up to the top of his staff and muttered and incantation. A faint glow emanated from the crystal in the center, bleeding into the cowl. Afterwards, he tossed the cowl over to me and I caught it.

"My father concocted this charm so that he could face the Sallow Man in battle," he said pointing at the cowl. "Wear it, and he will be forced to reveal himself. Succeed, and perhaps you can join me inside the Council. There we can see who shall become the next Divine, once and for all."

"Very well," I said. I slipped the cowl into my bag. "We'll be back with his head on a platter."

I turned around and left the Bishop and his guards with Sebille and the Red Prince following behind me.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Ladies and gentlemen, the first moment I've been waiting a long time to write about.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Ifan stood alone in the center of the leafy platform with his hands on his hips. I slowly approached him and placed my hand on his shoulder. Thankfully, he didn't shrug my hand away. Instead, he turned his head up to me. His eyes were wet and empty. But when he looked up at me, I could see something spark inside them. Like my gaze reignited something inside of him.

"Did you-" he stumbled on his words trying to subdue his sobs. "-mean what you said?"

I lowered myself to my knees, my head now level with his. I gently grasped his arms and looked deep into his wet eyes.

"Every word," I said with confidence.

His eyes and lips winced. The wetness of his eyes flowed out as two tears escaped from them. He looked away for a moment.

"You… you have a lot of courage to put your faith in me," he said. "Even after what I unintentionally did to my family, I've done…questionable things as a Lone Wolf."

He looked over at Sebille. He was no doubt thinking about what a mistake it was to partner up with the man who violently abused the elven girl before she was sent to the Master. I brought my hand to his check and pulled his gaze away from her to look at me.

"Well, I don't see that man standing before me right now," I said. "I see someone who's been there for his friends and is willing to offer help to those in need."

Ifan continued to look at me through his tear-soaked eyes. He squinted as the tears began to flow again. He dropped to his knees and buried his face into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my chin on his back. I kept holding on to him as he sobbed. Like how he was there for me when I cried after our ordeal with Ryker, I was here for him. After a few minutes, Ifan managed to take a few breaths and contain the sobs. He brought his head back and I did the same. When I looked at him, his face still wore the streaks of the tears he shed. But his eyes showed he was slowly recovering. I could even see a trace of affection in them.

"Not that I want to intrude on this tender moment," I heard the Red Prince say. We glanced at him for a moment. Ifan nodded at me, telling me he was going to be okay. I nodded back and we both got to our feet. Everyone turned their attention to the Red Prince.

"I apologize. But I must question why you've concluded to ally ourselves with Alexander. If you ask me, I personally don't want to run the risk of seeing that twat ruling over our world."

Everyone's eyes moved to me. When I looked at Ifan's gaze, I didn't see the accusatory look I expected him to give me. Instead, his eyes were ones of concern. I took a breath and explained myself.

"The way I see it, it's either siding with Alexander or the Sallow Man. I know for sure I'm not going to risk allying with the people who want our destruction. So, I figured having Alexander unlock the council for us is the better option."

The Red Prince brought his finger to his lips and pondered my response.

"But what about searching the island for clues to open it ourselves?" Sebille asked me.

"That would take a lot more time and the more time we waste, the more people continue to die from the Voidwoken," I paused for a moment. "Also, I think it'll be an opportunity to show Alexander's followers the folly of following him when one of us takes the title right in front of him."

The Red Prince raised his eyebrows.

"Revenge through humiliation," the Red Prince said. "Quite the poetic conclusion for a brat such as him."

"And if he does turn his back on us," I continued. "We're more than capable taking him and his guards on ourselves. But I really hope that doesn't happen because Del will be caught in the crossfire."

I could hear Sebille exhale a soft chuckle under her breath. I turned my attention to Ifan. His eyes were still red but no longer wet. He put his hands on his hips and sighed.

"I can't forgive Alexander for what happened. But you've been here for me. I can trust you with your judgement here. If you want to spare the lives of those Magisters and Paladins, I'll stand by that. But once we get inside, I will do everything in my power to keep Alexander from finishing first."

"Don't worry," I said with a confident smile. "We've been through hell and back several times. I think we have what it takes to face Alexander so long as we work together."

I put my hand out in front of Sebille and the Red Prince.

"Are we a team?" I asked.

Sebille cast her sly grin and placed her hand on mine. The Red Prince cast his own sly grin and placed it on top of Sebille's. Ifan gave me a trusting look before grinning himself. He placed his hand on top.

"To Divinity," I said.

"To Divinity," they repeated.

We threw our hands into the air, ready for what came next. Surprisingly, that next part wasn't the one we were expecting. From nearby, a female elf walked up to us. She wore an extravagant dress of branches and leaves.

"I am the Scion of the Mother Tree," she bowed before us. "Her heart speaks through me."

Instinctively, I took a step to the side so that I was between her and Sebille.

"Did you want something from us?" I asked the Scion. She nodded.

"The Mother is in danger. A shadow hunts her. You must rid us of the shadow. The Shadow Prince is on this island, seeking our annihilation."

Both the Red Prince and Sebille stepped in front of me.

"Where is he?" they asked in unison. The Scion had a hesitant look on her face when her eyes graced the Red Prince, but it returned to normal when she addressed Sebille directly.

"He is a lizard. No doubt he slithers close to the temple of his fork-tongued goddess."

She turned around and pointed through the branches. In the distance, passed the side of the mountain, there were ruins of a shrine where the lava from the volcano flowed directly under.

"It is time for vengeance," the Scion continued with her eye on Sebille. "You must cut off its breath, then bring me its heart! But beware, for he brings the shadows with him."

Sebille made a glance up at the Red Prince. They shared a smug grin. Sebille then nodded to the Scion. She replied with a nod and retreated from where she came. When Sebille and the Red Prince looked at me, they all had the same look in their eyes.

"We'll confront the Shadow Prince right away," I said. Both elf and lizard bowed their heads gratefully. The Red Prince then glanced at Sebille.

"Once I get him to tell me where Sadha is, you are free to skewer the bastard how you see fit. Deal?"

"Deal," Sebille replied. But then her smug grin disappeared when she looked over at me with a concerned look. "Are you ready for this?"

I heard the song return to my head, along with the dreadful feelings I harbored when I sung it. I took a deep breath.

"I'll do what needs to be done," I said. Sebille gave me a reassuring nod.

"You ready, Ifan?" Sebille asked him.

Ifan took a very deep breath and composed himself.

"I'm more than happy to put a twisted mastermind in the ground to help a friend."

Sebille nodded her appreciation.

"But wait," I said. "Once we deal with him, we'll need to come back here and deal with… the Mother Tree."

There was a pause within the group.

"We-" Sebile spoke. "Or rather, I, will deal with that problem when we get back. Right now, we should focus on the Master and the Sallow Man. Good?"

I kept a concerned eye on Sebille for a moment before looked at the nearby branches. I was very concerned about what was going to happen with my knowledge of what the Mother Tree intended to do should her power return. But I told myself we were going to address that problem when we got to it. I took a breath and answered Sebille.

"Good."

She looked to Ifan.

"Good," he said.

Then the Red Prince.

"Good," he said.

Sebille smiled.

"Off we go then."

She led the way back to the side entrance. Before we descended the vines, I whistled the tune to the elf guard who acknowledged it was correct for our return. Once at the bottom, the vines were pulled up. Before we moved further, Sebille placed her pyramid behind one of the nearby rocks.

"A little shortcut to get us back when we finish our business on the other side of the island," she said.

"Good thinking," the Red Prince said. "Now, off we go."

* * *

After trekking through the overgrown ruins for an hour, and evading several Black Ring patrols, we arrived at the edge of the temple of Zorl-stissa. The temple was in ruins with streams of lava flowing down the volcano right underneath everything. Somewhere in the middle of it was the Shadow Prince.

"We're going to need a plan," I said.

"I have a few ideas," Ifan said.

"Then let's share them," the Red Prince said.

We huddled together and got to work.

Several minutes later, I took out a scarf I took off a dead Magister and wrapped it around my neck, concealing my amulet. The Red Prince walked in front with me by his side while Ifan and Sebille followed behind. We crossed a decayed stone bridge stretching over a stream of lava. The heat from the lava was very hot. I imagined Ifan and Sebille were, as humans would say, _sweating like pigs_. Which was an odd saying because pigs didn't really sweat. Regardless, we made it across the bridge to find ourselves in a large courtyard. Ahead of us was an altar of sorts. But what drew our attention was the wall to our left. Specifically, the small archway running through it to a new section of the ruins. We couldn't see what was on the other side, but we heard something from behind the wall. It was the tune of Sebille's slave song. The Shadow Prince was behind the wall.

I signaled Ifan and Sebille. They moved to the side of the wall out of sight. Meanwhile the Red Prince looked over at me and gave me a nod. I nodded in return and followed him into the archway. When we emerged to the other side, we found ourselves standing in the middle of another large courtyard surrounded by large pillars stretching high above. Most of them were broken, but one in the far-left corner was still intact. Behind us, two elevated platforms emerged from the wall. Around the courtyard was a cliff that lead to streams of lava below. And right in the middle of the courtyard was a large red tent along with several Black Ring corpses laying dead in a pile to our left.

Sitting in a wooden chair in front of the tent was a lizard. A lizard with scales of pitch black. When he sensed us approach, he opened his eyes to reveal two dark pupils with small splinters of yellow surrounding them. We stopped and his gaze locked on both of us. A shadowy grin grew on the edges of his mouth. He stood from his chair and astutely walked to us. He stood directly before the Red Prince. Both men looked at each other as if they were looking in a mirror. A prince of bright red and a prince of dark shadow. I stood to the right of them watching them stare at each other.

"Red Prince. At last we meet."

The Shadow Prince's voice reflected his appearance. Dark, menacing, yet alluring and seductive in a way. He then bowed with the deference of a noble among nobles: swinging ever so playfully between sincerity and sarcasm.

"The Shadow Prince," the Red Prince replied crossing his arms. Rather than his cocky demeanor he had when I first met him, he had a much more composed and cooler attitude. "I must say I'm not too pleased to have to meet you in the flesh."

"It is understandable," the Shadow Prince replied. "But for me, it is a pleasure to meet you with your awareness of my presence. How often I've stood by you but an arm's length away, a shadow within the shadows: untouchable. Almost like meeting an old friend."

The Red Prince cocked his head. He kept his sharp eyes narrowed on him not breaking eye contact once. The Shadow Prince continued.

"I suppose I should start with an apology for the attempts on your life. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot, wouldn't you say?"

"Failed attempts remember?" the Red Prince coolly replied. "They were nothing I nor my faithful follower here couldn't handle."

The Shadow Prince's gaze rested on me. When I looked into his eyes, I felt as if he was evaluating me. I kept my cool not breaking my gaze from him.

"You must be…" the Shadow Prince narrowed his eyes before they widened when he realized who I was. "Mahalia. Sourcerer and aspiring diplomate of the House of Law. Daughter of merchants Riza and Kella. Highest honor student of the academy and betrothed to the noble Brell."

I tilted my head.

"You're very well informed," I said crossing my own arms.

"It is my duty to know things," the Shadow Prince replied. "For without knowledge, there would be chaos, both within and out of the Empire."

He then returned his gaze to the Red Prince.

"And with knowledge, I had to act."

He crossed his arms and started to pace in front of us.

"If things were different, I would have been content to let you live, my dear Prince. Let you play the emperor from your golden throne in your golden city. Alas, certain events beyond even my control were set in motion. Ripples became waves. And so, I arranged for you to meet with an unfortunate, self-inflicted end."

The Prince raised his brows and so did I.

"Did you expect me to have my throat torn out by my playmate?" he replied. "Or did you hope I would survive and become exiled so you could have your lackeys finish me off then?"

"I will admit there are margins of error to compensate for. But under the current circumstances, after what you put in motion despite my best efforts, I believe there's an opportunity that can happen without the need for your death."

"Do tell," the Red Prince said narrowing his eyes. The Shadow Prince sighed and continued to pace again.

"It's almost a pity we find ourselves on such opposite sides. All because of who you are, and all because of who she is. It was Sadha who set events in motion, Red Prince. If you were the ripple, she was the wave. She's a tidal wave that will take wing, become a murder of dragons, red as the setting sun that will alight every corner of this world with the terrible splendor of fire."

I tilted my head.

"So, you're against the idea of our people becoming dragons again?" I asked.

"Quite so," he replied. "For it is murder they would commit, and it would be murder that would be committed upon them."

"How so?" I asked.

"When our people were dragons, the power we had was the jealousy that all other races united against us. They brought us to the brink of extinction. No-one knows what happened next. Was it wizardry? Was it Zorl-Stissa who took mercy on us even then? Suddenly we were dragons no more. Lizards instead. And as lizards we flourished and built an empire once more."

It was just as the Red Prince predicted the day after I scolded him.

"But the House of Dreams trades in prophecy," the Shadow Prince continued. "They've always known we could be dragons again, for ' _one day a man and woman will be born, and their skin will be red, and the fruit of their union will be Great Red Dragons_ '."

I looked over at the Red Prince. He made a sideways glance at me without any indication of his feelings about the prophecy he was a part of.

"And what right do you have to interfere with our people's destiny?" the Red Prince said. The Shadow Prince's eyes narrowed. I could sense his irritation.

"Listen to me!" he said raising a single finger. "I _am_ the House of Shadows. This is my role. I see the great games in motion: allow them their flux when they advance for good, cut them short when they advance for evil, even if that means _doing_ evil."

It took a great effort from me to not roll my eyes.

"The renaissance of dragons would spell the end of our race, plain and simple. To that end I needed you to die, but you proved to be all too worthy an opponent. An opponent I would not see an ally."

The Shadow Prince took a step closer to the Red Prince.

"Ally with me, Red Prince. Find Sadha… and kill her. If she births dragons, all other races will unite against us. And this time, they will destroy us for good. We were spared last time. The condition of our continued existence was that we'd never let the dragon roar again."

I looked over at the Red Prince and he looked over at me. I said nothing but gave a look of 'how do you want to go about this?' Eventually, the Red Prince grinned smugly and shook his head. He brought his hand to his chest and presented himself proudly to his audience of one.

"I am the Red Prince. Your role in this story is over. I am its sole protagonist. Sadha may indeed be dangerous. I may decide she must die; I may not. But it will be my decision. You're out of options, master of shadows. Tell me where she is."

The Shadow Prince's stone face of confidence cracked. I could tell the Red Prince had checkmated his opponent by calling his bluff.

"I truly have no choice, have I?" The Shadow Prince tightened his fist. He was defeated at this part of the game he played. I could tell it did not sit well for him.

"Very well: I must put the fate of all lizards in your hands. But beware, Sadha is ultimately dangerous. Not only will she be the mother of dragons, I fear she's fallen in with an old enemy. _Them_."

He pointed to the pile of Black Ring corpses to the side.

"Yes," I said. "We've put two and two together and figured out she's sworn to the God King."

"I applaud you for figuring it out on your own," the Shadow Prince said. "But if you are to find Sadha, you may need to use the Black Ring's magic. Particularly the magic that pertains to the creature that leads these cultists at this moment."

"The Sallow Man?" I said.

"Indeed," the Shadow Prince replied.

"Well, that's convenient because we're in the process of finding him now. It would most certainly help us if you knew exactly where we can find him. Can you help us?"

The Shadow Prince looked to the hills around the mountain past the lava flow. He pointed at them.

"From what I've learned, the Sallow Man hides in a cave alongside the mountain guarded by an entourage of the Black Ring's most devoted followers."

He looked directly at the Red Prince.

"If you manage to get in, either with bloodshed, evasion or your words, you'll need to look into one of his mirrors. Mirrors like his will read your mind and show you what you desire. A word of warning though: he is like a shred of nightmare ripped from the dream realm, set loose in reality."

I relaxed my stance.

"The two of us have faced monsters and demons alike," I said. "I'm sure we can handle another monster with the proper preparation."

The Shadow Prince looked over at me with intrigue.

"I admire your confidence, dear Mahalia. You seem to have inherited quite the resolve in your travels. From what I've learned, you've never left the Empire prior to your departure for Arx and never was forced to take a life either in defense or by choice.

I smirked.

"Being thrust into the unorganized world tends to do that to people. I'm alive now because I learned what needs to be done."

"Hmmm," the Shadow Prince gave me a pondering gaze. "In that case, despite our differences with you aiding the Red Prince, I believe we can work together for something different. Something that needs to be done for the greater good."

I made a glance at the Red Prince. He nodded his head and took a step back to pardon himself.

"Are you talking about the Mother Tree?" I asked the Shadow Prince. He raised his eyebrows.

"Do I need to give you a full explanation of what the Mother Tree is?" he asked.

"I think I know enough," I said. "Speaking of which, I believe I have something of yours."

I turned my head back to the archway and whistled loudly. A moment later, Ifan and Sebille emerged. Sebille's hands were bound behind her back by a rope while Ifan held her. He walked her over to me and the Red Prince. He put her onto her knees and took a step back. The Shadow Prince walked over and stood several paces in front of the kneeling captive. I watched as Sebille lifted her head and her eyes locked onto her prey. The eyes of predators locked with one another.

"Sebille," the Shadow Prince said. His voice sounded like a disturbed father happy to see his beloved child again.

Sebille narrowed her eyes, sharp anger burning within. Suddenly, she leapt onto her feet, her bound hands brought in front of her. Ifan lunged himself at her, but Sebille was too fast. With speed and grace, she twirled her body around Ifan, planting precise jabs into him while drawing a knife from his belt. She kicked him to the ground and, with a single slice, cut the rope freeing her hands. She lunged right at the Shadow Prince. I reached for my wand and the Red Prince drew his sword. But the Shadow Prince did not move and simply snapped his fingers.

Sebille froze, merely feet away from the Shadow Prince. The Red Prince and I froze too. But unlike us, Sebille froze involuntarily. She dropped the dagger and stood at attention. Her face was contorted with anger and frustration. She gritted her teeth while giving me a begrudging look. The Red Prince and I holstered our weapons and watched the scene play out.

"Here you go breaking my heart," the Shadow Prince sighed.

Sebille's body shook, as if to unfreeze herself but to no avail. Ifan walked to my side, rubbing the bloody nose Sebille gave him. The Shadow Prince looked over at me.

"How exactly did you come across my treasured assassin?"

"She said she needed help to find you while putting a needle to my throat. So, I decided to play along with my Lone Wolf here after I learned of her true purpose."

The Shadow Prince looked back at Sebille in surprise.

"Ah. So, you finally remember, child."

"I remembered the horrible pain you've caused me," Sebille said through her gritted teeth. She looked down at her scar. "I remember Stingtail burning your brand into my flesh while you stood and watched."

She slowly regained control of her hand and drew her needle from her belt. She looked down at it through her grimaced face.

"I remember the first kill: how she screamed as I plunged this into her again and again until her screams were no more."

She locked her gaze onto the Shadow Prince once again.

"I remember how I crawled back into the box and your voice telling me I did well but next time I would do better."

She took a step forward. Her arm was pulled back, ready to thrust her needle forward. But she wouldn't be able to. With another snap, the Shadow Prince forced her to attention again. She kept her needle in her fingers but was unable to move it. The Shadow Prince's face showed disappointment. He closed the distance between them and looked down into her eyes. Slowly, he brought up his hand and placed it onto her unscarred cheek. Even from where I stood, I could feel the cold of his touch creep down my spine.

"I don't begrudge you your freedom, Sebille," he said. Sebille managed to pull her cheek away from his hand but could move nothing else. The Shadow Prince started to walk around her slowly now.

"Your escape relieved me of having to witness your death by your own hand: the inevitable last command. I would have watched you, like I have all this time, glad to see you live, sometimes even laugh."

He stood before her again looking deep into her eyes.

"I'm very fond of you, you know," he said.

Sebille's body fidgeted again. The hate in her eyes burned hot.

"The feeling's not quite mutual."

Her hand holding her needle slowly moved. Once again, she was gaining control of her body.

"Not _yet_."

With another snap, this time from a different finger, Sebille fell to one knee. She was bowing before him. The Shadow Prince glanced over at me.

"My apologies," he bobbed his head courteously to me and the Red Prince in turn. "It has been so long since I have seen my most treasured assassin again."

"Mmmm," I said. "I understand. However, can we get to the proposal you have for me before you continue with your reunion spiel?"

The Shadow Prince looked down at his slave, assessing the control he had over her before walking over to me.

"So, you know about the Mother Tree's ultimate plan, do you?"

"She wants to have her roots spread and destroy everything that isn't elf?" I replied.

"That is the basic summery," he said. "But there are some details that need to be said so you may understand."

He took a step back and showed his hand to Sebille.

"She is the Prime Scion. For it had to be her. The other Scions knew and welcomed her: they sought out their own killer. It was all so very elegant. What I did had to be done. I had to be the orchestrator, for I am the House of Shadows. I am the fate-weaver. I am the hand that guides a blind world."

"Get to the point," I said with slight impatience.

"The point is the Mother Tree and her Scions do not seek to carve out their own part of the peace in this world, they seek to carve out the whole wide world for themselves. They want their roots to conquer every last inch of Rivellon. World domination. The prevalence of one race over all others, that is what they desire. That is what I counteract."

"And you want us finish what you've started?" I said.

He gracefully bowed before me and produced something from his pocket. He brought his hand up to reveal something familiar.

"Take this to the Heart of the Mother Tree. Once it is set, a barrel of deathfog with emerge and destroy the Mother Tree once and for all. Once it is done, the world will be safe from the destruction that would be brought by her and her Scions."

My eyes narrowed at the same device Ifan destroyed in the Caves of Reaper's coast. I stared at the device for a while, pondering what I was to do if I accepted.

"I've learned a lot from my time outside the Empire," I said. "Before, I believed talking and negotiating to people was the ideal way to achieve prosperity."

I slowly lifted my hand and took the device from his cold hand. I continued to look at it.

"But now, I've learned some people cannot be reasoned with. If the world is to be safe, some sacrifices must be made."

I looked up at the Shadow Prince.

"If there's no other way to save people who'll inevitably be killed, then I'll do what I must."

I opened my backpack and dropped the device into it. The Shadow Prince wore a pleased smile on his face.

"I am glad you see it my way," the Shadow Prince said.

"Yes, well… if you don't mind, I think I'll leave you to handle your slave as you wish. The Red Prince and I have business to attend to."

"Of course," the Shadow Prince said. "We all have our part to play."

He bowed to me. He looked over at the Red Prince.

"I do hope you will have the wisdom to become the savior of all lizards, dear prince. Go now and become the true emperor of our people."

The Red Prince simply gave a curt nod. He looked over at me and I nodded to him.

"Thank you for your assistance," I said. "I hope we speak again in the future."

"I most certainly hope so," the Shadow Prince bowed. I turned around along with the Red Prince. As we slowly walked toward the exit, with Ifan following by my side, I heard the Shadow Prince snap his fingers again and speak to his slave.

"I hope you understand that I have truly redeemed you from a killer of millions to the savior of millions."

I looked down at Ifan walking between me and the Red Prince.

"I don't begrudge you your freedom, Sebille. But alas, now that you are here, you leave me no choice."

Ifan looked up at me from below the enchanted cowl. He whispered.

"One on each platform. One on the pillar. Two flanking both sides."

I looked at the Red Prince. He narrowed his eyes.

"Goodbye, my child."

We stopped.

"Sebille, sh'ialyinou."

I spun around to see the Shadow Prince hesitate as my voice contested his. I sung the last verse with the volume of an opera singer.

"SEBILLE, NA CHARLEN DE'VOT!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Accompanying music: The Night King – Ramin Djawadi

To address some criticism I received, I chose to side with Alexander on this because, like everything else I've done in this story, I'm looking to cut out all the unnecessary padding with the exception of some side plots that'll come into play later. Since the game offered this blatant shortcut, I'm going to take it. But I will ask, did I give a compelling reason why my characters would go through with this?

The next chapter is already in the works. Hold tight. It'll be out by Saturday.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The needle pierced through his vocal cords. He stumbled back clasping his throat, blood spilling through his fingers. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Only a gargle of blood pooling within.

I didn't see what happened between him and Sebille next though. I immediately launched myself into the air with my wings as three projectiles landed where the three of us were a split second ago. I caught a glimpse of Ifan coming out of his roll and launching an explosive arrow at the top of the high pillar. I also saw the Red Prince bring his shield up as a hooded lizard appeared swinging his sword at him. Before I saw anything else, I turned around and unleashed a fireball at the platform of the left as I flew to the one on the right. I ignited my chain and swung it where I was about to land. A hooded lizard appeared as the tip of my whip grazed his arm. As he stumbled backward clasping his arm, I extended my leg and landed on top of him. With him pinned under me, I inhaled and let out a freezing breath. The ice pelted the lizard's face until it was completely frozen. I lifted my foot and stomped in on his head, shattering it into a thousand of pieces.

Immediately after, I launched myself into the air. When I glanced at the pillar, I couldn't see anyone there. Either because Ifan missed or the guard was forced off and fell into the lava stream below, I couldn't be sure. Regardless, I brought my attention to the other platform I launched my fireball at earlier. Wouldn't you know it, another of the Shadow Prince's guards was on it with minor burns in his robes. I watched as he took his stance and started to motion his hand. I rolled myself to the left just as a lightning strike darted past me. When I came out of my midair roll, I motioned my hand and unleashed my Ice Fan onto him. All three ice shards landed onto him, freezing him in place. I landed next to him and immediately ignited my whip. I swung it and cleaved through the frozen body, cutting the lizard in two. Both halves fell to the ground, breaking into a dozen smaller pieces.

I looked down at the yard just in time to see the Red Prince kick another hooded guard off his sword to flop lifelessly to the ground. Behind him, the first attacker to decloak lay dead. Ifan held his crossbow in relaxed ready position and looked up at me. He pulled back the cowl and shot a thumbs up into the air. The battle was over. But when I looked at the tent, I could see the conflict was not quite resolved. I floated to the ground and retracted my wings. I joined the Red Prince and Ifan to see what lay in front of the tent.

The Shadow Prince was on his knees. His arms were slumped by his sides while his head shook erratically. Sebille emerged from behind him. A unique, blood-soaked dagger rested in her hand. We took away her weapons when we brought her before the tent to make it convincing. The dagger she held now must have been the Shadow Prince's before Sebille pounced on him. From the way the Shadow Prince was kneeling before us unable to move anything but his head, I concluded that Sebille had severed the Shadow Prince's spine, paralyzing him.

With her blood-soaked needle in her right and the blood-soaked dagger in her left, she walked in front of the paralyzed lizard with her back to us. The Shadow Prince looked up, a mixture of disbelief, fear and denial in his eyes. Sebille's hands shook. Both of her weapons were hungrier for more blood than they've consumed already. For so long she wanted vengeance. Now, it was before her, ready to be taken. She pulled her needle arm back.

I walked over and gently grabbed her arm. Instead of reactively pulling her hand away or attacking the one who grabbed her, she only frozen. I walked in front of her, still holding onto her hand. She looked up at me with her blazing eyes. From both the look in her eyes and how her arm trembled in my hand, she seethed with hatred. The pitiful lizard kneeling behind me was the source of all her suffering. The hatred she carried since her enslavement had taken full control of her. But when she looked up at me, I could see hatred wasn't the only thing that burned in her. Her frowning lips twitched, and her narrowed brows slowly eased. Her eyes now started to wet. The hatred in her started to fade away.

For so long, she was nothing but a tool. She had everything taken away from her to be morphed into an involuntary agent of death for a delusional man's crusade to control the fate of the world. She wanted to take the life of that man for so long. But now, I could see she wasn't thinking about making the man who ruined her life pay. Instead, she thought about the life that she could have had. It could have been a peaceful life. A life without violence. A life without bloodshed. A life that I had once before.

I reached down and grasped the edge of the hilt of the dagger in her other hand. She looked down at it before looking up at me again. I nodded my head. Her tear-filled eyes shifted between three different directions. Eventually, her grip on the dagger lessened. She let it go, allowing me to take ahold of it. She nodded to me as the tears expelled from her eyes and ran down her face. I let go of her needle hand. She backed away. Ifan came over and embraced her while the Red Prince gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder.

I turned around and looked down at the Shadow Prince. He looked up at me while coughing up a wade of blood from his throat. He tried to move but to no avail. I kneeled to his level and looked deep into his eyes. I heard the voice he once had in my head. Moments ago, that voice told me he believed himself to be the hand that guided a blind world. How he justified enslaving Sebille to murder not only dozens of her own kind, but other obstacles he perceived to be a threat to his vision.

But now, thanks to the needle he provided his slave, his voice was taken away. He would no longer sing to enslave anyone ever again. More than that, he would no longer be able to use his hands or legs to harm anyone either. But I knew that if Rivellon was to be truly be safe from his influence, I had to make sure the deed was completed myself.

I pulled my scarf from my neck and tossed it aside. The Shadow Prince's eyes widened when they rested on my amulet. I felt a fire burning it me. It wasn't a fire of anger or hatred. Nor was it the fire in my heart to unleash my flame breath. Instead, it was a fire of passion. A passion to do what needed to be done to protect people. I spoke to him.

"Like I said: some people cannot be reasoned with."

I brought up the dagger for him to see.

"It is my duty to defend people from the cruelty of those who wish to harm them."

I plunged the dagger into his chest. His eyes widened and his throat and mouth splurged more blood. I imagined it was from surprise rather than pain considering he no longer felt his body. I carved the dagger through the muscle and bone down his chest. When I was finished, I withdrew the blade and tossed it aside. Keeping my eyes locked with his, I took my hand and thrust it into the opening I carved. His head twitched as he screamed a soundless scream. I pulled my hand out and brought it up for him to see. His eyes widened in horror as his own grey heart rested in my palm for him to see. The reminder of his blood spilled from his body, pooling under his knees. He gave me a final look before his eyes hung open as his head slumped down. He remained on his knees as the last drops of his life dripped out of him.

The Shadow Prince was dead.

I sighed deeply. I stood up with the heart in my hand. I turned around to see Ifan walking up to me with a blanket in hand. I placed the heart into the blanket and wiped off most of the blood on my hand. Ifan rolled the blanket over the heart and gave it to me with an approving nod. I gave a brief grin to him. I pulled out my backpack and placed the heart into it. Afterwards, I pulled out the Deathfog device that was given to me. Ifan looked at the device with a disapproving look. I obliged his disapproval and threw the device into the stone floor, seeing it shatter into a thousand pieces. Ifan's face then turned back into an approving one. He nodded and I nodded in return. I swung my backpack over my shoulder.

I turned around to see Sebille standing before the kneeling corpse of the Shadow Prince. I decided to not interfere. She looked down at her needle and back at the corpse. For several minutes, she stood there, not uttering a word. Eventually she tuned to face me. Her eyes started to wet again. Her face exuded sadness. But they also exuded something else. Gratefulness. To me.

She rushed over and wrapped her arms around me. She started to cry. I put my arms around her. Ifan came from behind her and hugged her too. We fell to our knees, holding the elven girl between us. Our bodies swayed back and forth as Sebille buried her face into my shoulder. Nothing needed to be said. We stayed where we were for a long time. The sobs slowly faded, but we kept holding on to her. After several more minutes, Sebille pulled her head back. Ifan pulled away and I let go of Sebille. All three of us stood up. When Sebille looked up at me again, her eyes were red with her checks drenched with her tears. But she was smiling.

"Thank you," she said. I smiled back at her.

"You're welcome."

Sebille looked at Ifan. He nodded with a caring smile. She smiled back. Suddenly, she moved closer and gave a small kiss on his cheek. His eyes widened in surprised. Mine did too. But before we did anything, Sebille took Ifan's hand and reached out to take mine. She brought both of our hands together. She stepped to the side and wore a familiar teasing smile. Ifan and I shared an awkward glance before looking back at Sebille. I started to chuckle and Ifan did too. Sebille started to laugh. All my concerns for her seemed to disappear seeing her playful self return to mess with the two of us. I was truly happy for her now.

When we were finished with our giggles and smiles, we turned our attention to the Red Prince. He was taking his turn to look down at the heartless corpse of the Shadow Prince. He held his hands on his hips before he sighed deeply. Eventually, he turned around to face the rest of us. He looked at all three of us individually, keeping his gaze on Sebille the longest before he looked away for a moment. When his gaze came back to us, he composed himself to seemingly perform monologue for his audience of three.

"For the longest time, I believed that domination and control was what allowed our people to be the superior species of this world. And when I learned of my destiny to have my children start a new age of Dragons, I could think of no better way to exude my dominance in addition to the thought of becoming the sole god of this world."

He paused.

"But now, in this short span of days, my perception of the world has… changed."

He pulled out the handkerchief Sadha had given him before she was kidnapped. Stared at it.

"I never felt love growing up. Not true love. When I came of age, I satisfied my primal urges with the nearest concubine and, eventually, demon. But I've always dreamed of her. In those empty moments between ordering my armies and satisfying my royal urges, I longed to be with the woman who just seemed out of my reach. Then I finally met her. The moment I shared with her transcended any moment I had with anyone before that. When she was taken, I felt horrified. Losing my palace. Losing my throne. Losing my army. None of those compared to the horrible feeling of losing a loved one."

He looked directly at me.

"Then I was confronted by someone. Someone who had the courage to stand up not only to me, but the lizards' belief of enslavement of people who wore different skin. She changed herself to accept the help of others while she helped them in return. When I had everything taken from me, I had no one to help me. I truly felt what it was like to be a slave. To have everything about myself taken away."

He looked down at the corpse of the Shadow Prince.

"And that's why we lost our wings. We were tyrants who believed we had the right to terrorize and dominate the races of the world. To have them do things for us that our larger bodies couldn't do ourselves. In return, we gave them nothing but death and misery. All the while we failed to see that we created a reason for Rivellon to unite against us. Our undoing was indeed our fault."

He looked at his handkerchief again. His face twisted into a conflicted mess. He closed his fist around the handkerchief before he made a statement to the three of us.

"But even with everything set in motion, even with the potential threat it could bring, I can't bring myself to murder Sadha or my child."

A silence hung over the four of us. To my surprise, Sebille was the one to break it.

"If that's the case, what's going to happen once you free them from the God King?"

The Red Prince turned his head to the Shadow Prince's corpse again. He walked over and reached into one of the dead lizard's pockets. When he pulled it out, all three of us gasped when we saw what he had in his hand.

"I figured I'd teach my dragon offspring the values of the Dragon Knights."

It was a violet gem in his hand. My eyes, along with Ifan and Sebille's, darted to my amulet. We exchanged glances before we watched the Red Prince continue.

"The Knights believe in helping the people of Rivellon. As a result, the people of Rivellon would respect and help them in return. If my children learned that, perhaps that would lessen the possibility of having our kind be driven to extinction again."

When he looked up from the gem, his eyes rested on Sebille. I couldn't be sure, but I suspected he looked at her scar. A look of doubt came over him.

"But at the same time, slavery and domination are two things that have been ingrained in our people's culture for thousands of generations. Two things the Dragon Knights do not stand for. To divorce such an aspect away from our culture would surely start a civil war when we need it the least."

An uneasy, but familiar, feeling came over me. A feeling that clung to me ever since I freed the Lady Vengeance. Even when Sebille told me she saw the good in me and it didn't matter that I wore scales, I still felt this lingering feeling. A feeling that slavery was a part of me, and I could never divorce myself from it. When people saw me in the world, particularly humans and elves, I always thought they saw only the monster who took their mother, father, child or friends to be made into slaves for the Empire. No matter how much I told myself I was different, the people of the world would still see me as a lizard who valued their slaves.

The Red Prince looked at the gem again. Slowly, his doubt started fade away from his face.

"But then again, I've always said I wanted challenge in my life. Perhaps this was the challenge I was looking for. To have our Empire be reborn. Not just from physical transformation, but ideological too. To shed our selfish skin and embrace the world as it is when it's shared by other beings."

All three of us looked up at him in silence and disbelief. A moment later, the Red Prince walked up to me. He looked at me with sincerity in his ember eyes.

"I wanted to thank you for standing up to me. If you hadn't, then I would have remained the same arrogant noble who might have let his ego and lust for power consume him to share the same fate as Braccus Rex."

He looked over at Ifan and Sebille.

"It's been an honor traveling alongside all of you. Even when I wasn't the politest person, you've chosen to keep me around and help me when I needed help. I won't forget that, and I'll do what I can to repay you. I don't know when it will happen, but you have my world I will do right by you."

He brought his gaze back to me.

"And whatever happens from here on, I truly believe you'll do incredible things for this world, Divine or not."

He presented the gem to me.

"For the trials yet to come."

He took my hand and placed the gem into it, closing my fingers over it. He gave a deep nod to me and took a step back. For a moment, I stood in silence, bewildered by the Red Prince's speech. Just a week ago, he was an arrogant idiot who had the audacity to declare me his slave. But now, this lizard was an entirely different man. Someone who knew how others felt when they were hurt. Someone who respected others' beliefs. Someone who believed that I would do good despite our different beliefs.

"Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome," he replied with a bob of his head.

I looked down at the gem in my hand. I took notice of the electrical radiating into my palm. I felt a wave of anticipation come over me. I took ahold of my amulet.

"For the trails yet to come," I said.

Everyone gathered around me but kept a good distance away. I took a deep breath and slowly moved the violet gem toward the last slot in my amulet. Like before, I felt the gems radiated with energy as the new one closed the distance. When the violet gem was pulled from my hand into the slot, I felt the energy surge into my heart like last time. The electrical energy wedged itself between the fire and ice in my heart, causing me to fall to one knee again. I exhaled a small stream of lightening from my mouth that dissipated into a floating cloud of electrified steam. The cloud floated and sparked in midair for nearly five seconds before disappearing. All the while, the three elements revolved around my heart until I gasped when the elements found equilibrium once again. I looked at my amulet to see all three gems glowing in unison while I felt the elements in my heart ready to be unleashed at my command. I stood up and looked at the others to see their intrigued faces. But Sebille seemed to be the one to be most intrigued.

"Anything else?" Sebille asked.

I raised my brow. But a second later, I knew what she meant.

"You mean, do I have an extra power similar to my wings?" I asked.

"Yes," Sebille tilted her head looking down at my full amulet. "I mean, one would expect all slots of something magical being filled would mean something very powerful being unlocked."

I closed my eyes and felt my body over.

"I don't feel anything else," I said opening my eyes. "Just the Source I have in my body along with the elements the gems have imbued into my heart."

"Hmmm," Ifan brought his finger to his lips and pondered. "Perhaps there might be something more that'll unlock whatever else is in that amulet. If there's anything else in that amulet that is."

"Maybe," I said. My thoughts lingered on possible things. But I eventually put those thoughts aside when my mind returned to the current situation.

"Regardless, we've a monster to slay and a mirror for our Prince to look into. I think it's time we get to it, don't you think?"

The Red Prince's eyes flickered with a brief sense of urgency.

"Most certainly," he said looking over at Ifan and Sebille.

"No time to waste then," Sebille said. Ifan gave her daggers back and she turned around to the archway leading out. One by one, we followed her with me being the last. Before I left, I looked at the corpse of the Shadow Prince one last time. I heard the song play in my head, but I felt no anger or shame anymore. I would never sing the song again, and neither would he. He was dead and my best friend was finally free from his influence. Now it was time I set my sights on freeing Rivellon from the Voidwoken. I turned around and followed the others out of the temple on our way to our next destination.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Violet Gem:

\+ 3 Areomancy

Innate Abilities:

-Thunderous Roar (From the Draconic Skills mod)

-?

I apologize for not having this out by Saturday like I promised. It turned out to be a lot more than I could handle in a single day. I needed to make this the best it could be. But here it is now. Better late than never.

Though I heard it was an unnecessary cash grab, I would like to thank Rambo: Last Blood for inspiring me to give the Shadow Prince a worthy fate.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter and remember to stay home and wash your hands.

P.S. If you're confused about seeing myself reviewing my own story in the review section, that's actually my mother reviewing my story. Thank you for reading my story, mom. I love you. :)


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The cave was indeed guarded by at least eight Black Ring cultists. They stood around chanting in their demented tongue. They were all humans. But the one that caught my eye was extremely large, obese in fact, and heavily armored with a large hammer on his back. He had a bald head and a discerning look in his eye. Despite this, I walked out with the rest of my company behind me. All eight cultists looked our way. The obese cultist was the one to address me.

"Do you sssserve the God King, ssscum?" he said with a serpent-like hiss. If he were an ordinary human, I would have interpreted that hiss as a mockery of lizard speech.

"We're here at the behest of Almira," I said slipping into the groove of my persona. Firm, yet having some leeway to give the impression we were under the influence of a succubus. It seemed to work because the bald cultist raised his brows.

"You ssserve the great Almira?!" he asked. I nodded my head along with the others. "The Sssallow Man will want to ssspeak with you. Take thisss…"

He reached behind him to present a hand mirror to me. It was completely black, like the mirror at the Lumbermill but only smaller. Staying in character, I took the mirror and looked into it. At first, the glass was black. Then a sickly haze formed, like sand upon a pond. The haze shimmered and became a face. An imp-like face looking straight at me. From the look he gave alone, I could feel his hate pour into me. He didn't speak a word, but I felt him ask a question in my head.

 _Who are you?_

I kept my composure and responded with a strong voice in my head.

 _I am a servant of Lady Almira. She told me to assist you._

The hate and suspicion of the creature suddenly eased. He bought my bluff. A moment later, he sent more thoughts into my head.

 _Alexander! His head! Bring it to me! Do it and I will give you what you desire. A new you. All of your flaws, gone forever! Do this, and you will have it!_

A moment later, his image faded back to black. I exhaled and put the mirror down.

"What did Sssallow say?" the obese Black Ring cultist said. I kept my composure and responded.

"He wants us to deliver Alexander's head to him."

"You?!" the cultist said in surprise. "We were to get hissss head. But the ssshreikers made it impossible to get to him. Now, we are ordered to ssssstand here."

I could sense his jealousy slowly turning to rage.

"Well I apologize that you won't get your chance because we've already got is head."

I shook my backpack with my shoulders. He tilted his head in disbelief.

"I suggest you get out of the way," I said. "We'd like to present his head in good condition to the Sallow Man."

He stared at me for a moment. The other cultist crept closer with their hands ready to draw their weapons. I could feel the tension in my stomach build but my training kept it from affecting my persona. A moment later, the obese cultist raised his hand signaling the others to be at ease. He then stepped aside leaving the path to the cave wide open.

"You may passsssss," he said with a polite gesture. I nodded in return.

"The mistress thanks you," I said.

"Sssssshe is mosssst welcome," he bowed his head.

Without hesitation, the four of us walked past the cultists into the cave. We exhaled in relief once we were out of earshot.

"What did you see in that mirror?" the Red Prince asked me.

"I saw the Sallow Man," I said. "He wanted us to kill Alexander and bring his head to him."

I looked over at Ifan with the enchanted cowl brought back over his head.

"But I don't think we're going to need to do that since we're here already."

"But is that the only thing you saw?" the Red Prince asked.

I glanced at the mirror again before I put it onto the ground.

"I don't think this is the correct mirror. I think the one we're looking for is like the one Ifan looked at when we were at the Lumbermill."

"Oh," the Red Prince said. "Then we've no time to waste then."

We looked deeper into the cave. The cave itself was short with a large crevasse blocked by a large boulder. In front of the boulder was an altar of sorts with two candles that lit as soon as we got close. I could see a diamond shaped indent in the center, most likely the place to put Alexander's head. But we had a heart of a lizard instead.

"See anything?" I asked Ifan.

He looked around with cowl over his head. A moment later, he walked past the altar to the boulder. He reached out to touch it. But instead, his hand passed through it. It wasn't a boulder; it was an illusion. He looked back at the rest of us and gestured us to follow. We did so, passing through the boulder one by one. Once we were all through, we found ourselves in a tunnel that led to a left turn. We followed it, keeping our footsteps quiet. When we turned the corner, we found ourselves on a ledge overlooking a large underground room with architecture not unlike the Temple of Zorl-stissa. We crawled to the edge and observed the chamber. There were several elements of a camp strewn about, with tables, chairs and maps. But to my surprise, it looked empty. No one was here. At least it _looked_ that way.

I looked over at Ifan. He looked over the scene a moment more before he crawled back from the ledge. He huddled us together and whispered about what he saw. Five minutes later, the Red Prince walked down the slope to the left leading down into the chamber alone. He kept his wits about him, keeping a keen eye out. When he made it to the bottom and reached the center of the chamber, a tall, skinny man appeared before him. His skin was the color of leaves in late autumn mixed with shades of mossy green. His face was the same as it was in the mirror; an impish appearance with two burning green eyes. It was the Sallow Man for sure. The Red Prince stood firm looking at the monster. The Sallow Man raised his slender hand to the Prince, the nails on each finger razor sharp.

"Now," Ifan whispered to me.

I stood up on the ledge and waved my arms. From a corner of the compound, an oil barrel disappeared and reappeared just behind the Sallow Man. Ifan's aim was dead on when his fire arrow hit the barrel just as it was about to hit the floor. The fire erupted enveloping the Sallow Man along with three Black ring cultists who were invisible just a moment ago.

The Red Prince drew his sword and shield. He tuned to his right and channeled a wade of source into his arms. With all his might, leapt into the air and slammed his sword into the ground. A shockwave coursed though the ground in a wave in front of him. Two cultists appeared and were knocked off their feet to the ground. The Red Prince wasted no time and immediately rushed over to skewer his venerable opponents.

On another ledge on the left side of the compound, Sebille emerged from behind a stack of crates and brought her blades down on a spot near the edge. A cultist spellcaster appeared and Sebille maneuvered her daggers to the cultist's throat.

Meanwhile, I channeled my source and unleashed a large beam of lightning at the exact spot Ifan told me to aim several paces behind the Red Prince. The lightning hit its mark as another cultist appeared flailing his arms in shock. The lightning then jumped from him to another cultist that appeared followed by another.

Sebille leapt off the leftside ledge and landed onto the third cultist, forcing him to the ground before stabbing him in the back of the neck. She then rolled off her victim and maneuvered herself to the second electrified cultist. Before the cultist recovered from the shock, Sebille pressed her daggers to the cultist's neck. She sliced his throat open, his blood gushing out as he fell to his knees. She didn't need to worry about the last cultist in line because Ifan wedged a perfect arrow through the cultist's head causing him to fall to his knees too.

That was all the Sallow Man's bodyguards dealt with from what Ifan saw through the cowl. I immediately took ahold of Ifan and carried him into the air with my wings. We floated down to the ground just as the Red Prince and Sebille came together before the flames Ifan set at the start with my help. I let Ifan go and retracted my wings. All four of us stood in ready position as the flames died down.

The Sallow Man was still alive. His entire body was burned to a crisp. All his brown and green skin was charred back. But his eyes still burned green with rage.

 _You will die for your deception!_

His thoughts burned into my head. Along with his words, I felt his intentions. I knew what he was going to do once he defeated us. He lifted his hands left and right. In a flash of green, a thick haze enveloped us. I couldn't see anything around me. Not even my companions. I could breath okay in the haze, but I felt myself get nervous as I felt exposed. I thought about launching myself into the air to get clear. But something caught my attention.

"Mahailia, behind!" I heard Ifan's voice shout to my right. Instinctively, I ignited my whip and swung it behind me. I saw the chain gaze against the outline of the Sallow Man. But as soon as I saw him, he disappeared into the haze. Again, I was looking around me to see where the Sallow Man would strike next.

"Red, left!" Ifan shouted again. From somewhere in the haze, I heard a clang of metal. I only hoped it was the Red Prince blocking the Sallow Man's attack. I realized Ifan was calling out the Sallow Man's attacks with the cowl to see through the haze.

"Sebille, duck!"

I heard something slimy whiz through the air and land far away. A silence followed. I kept my senses alert, waiting for Ifan's next call. But I heard Ifan grunt as I heard him roll to my left. I realized that the Sallow Man was going after Ifan to stop his use of the cowl. I crept through the haze towards where I heard Ifan last. When I got there, I felt Ifan's hand on my arm. Once I was oriented with Ifan's direction, I stood in front of him.

"Direct my shot," I whispered so only he could hear. I inhaled and held my breath. I waited a second. Then two. Then three. Then f-

"Left!"

I twisted myself to the left and unleashed my new ability thanks to my amulet. The lightning flowed from my maw and enveloped the Sallow Man. To my surprise, Sallow Man didn't retreat into the fog. Instead, he was stunned in the electrified cloud. When the cloud dissipated, I caught the vague outline of Sebille leaping onto the Sallow Man from behind him. A moment later, I felt the body of a lizard dash past me. What followed was a series of slices and bashes against bare flesh. I only stood there with Ifan holding my arm unable to intervene without having my partners getting caught in the crossfire of my magic. But my worries were alleviated when in a whoosh, the haze was lifted. I looked behind me to see Ifan's face under the cowl. He let go of my arm and exhaled.

"You good?" He asked.

"Yes," I said. I looked in front of me to see the cause of the haze being lifted. A lizard and an elf stood over the corpse of the Sallow Man with proud smiles on their faces. Not only that, but the lizard held the head of the Sallow Man in his hand.

"Your communication skills on the battlefield proceeds you, Ifan," the Red Prince said.

"You're welcome," Ifan replied.

The Red Prince smiled back at him. But his smile disappeared when he looked around the room. A look of concern came over him.

"I don't see any mirrors here," he said.

I looked around the room myself. He was right. There weren't any mirrors like we saw at the Lumbermill.

"Perhaps they're further in," Ifan said pointing at stone doorway at the back wall of the chamber. The Red Prince felt some relief come over him.

"Maybe that's what this unlocks," Sebille said. When we looked at her, she was standing over one of the nearby cultist's corpses with a newly acquired key in her hand.

"Let's find out," I said with a gesture to lead the way. Sebille did so. She put the key into the lock and the door swung right open. Sebille walked in first followed by the rest of us. The short tunnel lead to another room. A room about half the size of the previous chamber. It was a makeshift study of sorts. There were bookshelves, candles and torches everywhere. Straight ahead was a desk and behind that, the dark mirror the Red Prince was looking for. But there was something else between us and the desk. Or rather, someone.

"Oh, Godwoken – such a pleasure! Did you miss me? Wait! Don't answer that. Of course you did."

The voice was unmistakable. I stood in front of everyone to address the skeleton.

"Windigo," I said crossing my arms. "I was wondering if you were ever going to come back to make life more difficult for us the four of us."

The undead witch leaned forward, her white hair waving from her nonexistent scalp.

"My Lord's given me another chance; such is his grace and wisdom," she said proudly. "As for you, well – you're out of chances. How many you had by now, I wonder. Two? Three? A hundred? It must all be a blur for you!"

When we encountered her outside Fort Joy, I remember feeling intimidated by her presence. But now, I only felt mildly annoyed. She wasn't a threat anymore, only an inconvenience.

"Will it be worth it, though?" I said. "You know we're more powerful and you're going to lose harder this time. We don't have to fight this time."

The skeleton gritted her teeth.

"By all means. Sheathe your weapons. Sway me with reason. Why not lay out a picnic, while you're at it? We'll be best friends in no time."

Her bony hands ignited, one with fire and the other with lighting.

"You do way too much talking and not enough dy-."

I stepped to the side. Ifan launched an explosive arrow at the skeleton. It landed square into her chest and exploded. An eruption of bones ensued, sending bits and pieces everywhere. When the smoke cleared, the mangled remains off the witch was on the ground in front of the desk. Her skull was still intact but attached to her neck at an odd angle. She turned her skull to look at me.

"Every time. Every time, Godwoken!" She shouted in what I could only describe as desperate anger. "Why. Can't. I. Just. KILL YOU?!"

It felt pitiful seeing her like this. Her skull tilted away and looked up at the ceiling of the cave.

"It doesn't matter," she said in a familiar obsessive manner. "He'll fetch me, like he always has. He won't deny me his glory, his presence, his scent…"

With that, her bones, both near and far, all dissolved in the same green light when she disappeared the first time. She was gone. For now.

"How many more times until she gives up?" I asked.

"Hopefully this was the last one," the Red Prince said.

With the immediate threat dealt with, his eyes rested on the dark mirror. He handed the head of the Sallow Man to Sebille and walked around the desk to stand directly before it. I walked up beside him and observed him as his attention was completely consumed by the mirror. I looked into the mirror but didn't see anything but the same black I saw in the small one. What he was seeing was something he could only see. After fifteen seconds being almost in a trance, the Red Prince blinked and gasped.

"You okay?" I asked. "What did you see?"

"I saw…" the Red Prince looked around for a moment to piece everything together. "Sadha. She's alive."

A good sign so far.

"But do you know where she is?" I asked.

The Red Prince racked his brain.

"I also saw… a great cathedral."

I cocked my brow. I remember seeing a great cathedral not just a week ago.

"Was it the same cathedral of-?"

"ARX!" the Red Prince shouted. "Sadha is in Arx. At the Lizard Consulate, she's there."

My eyes widened. The Lizard Consulate? That was the place I was going to stay when I arrived at Arx with the envoy.

"Why are all the bad things happening at Arx?" Sebille asked. "First the Dwarf Queen wants to unleash Deathfog, then an Archdemon takes shelter there and now the Lizard Princess is being held there too?"

It was quite a string of bad occurrences for the city.

"It is odd," I said. "Regardless, I think we have our first destination to get to once we finish our business here."

"Apparently so," Ifan said. "But I think we should focus on the moment instead of the future."

He looked down at the desk. On it was a long golden hilt. At first, I thought it was the hilt of an ax without the top part on it. But when I looked closer, I saw the shape was similar to the blueprints I saw on the tablet I gave Almira. Right next to the hilt was an open journal. It was open on the most recent entry. I read through it and looked up with a smile on my face.

"It's the first half of the Swornbreaker," I said. The Red Prince flinched, immediately taking the hilt into his hands. He looked it over with excitement on his face. But then his face turned into a face of concern again.

"If that's the case, where's the other half?" he said.

"The journal here says it's most likely hidden within the Council of the Seven," I said.

The Red Prince sighed with relief. He took his backpack off his back and strapped the hilt to the outside of the bag.

"Well that's convenient," Sebille said. She looked at the head of the Sallow Man the Red Prince gave her. "Anyway, I think it's time we get back to Alexander to drop this off so we can actually open the council."

"Righto," I said. I walked in front of the desk. "Time to go."

Everyone else placed a hand on my back. I placed my hand on the pyramid strapped to my hip and focused my mind. An instant later, we were teleported out of the Sallow Man's lair to the other side of the island.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Wow, that was easier to write than I was expecting. I'm certainly making the most out of all the free time I now have on my hands thanks to the quarantine.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter. And remember, stay home and keep washing your hands.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

I gasped and opened my eyes. The dark confines of the cave were gone. Replaced by the bright sunshine of the outside. I felt everyone's hands let go of my back. I inhaled the clean air into me, feeling it clear my mind from our encounter in the cave. I turned around and was pleased to see all three of my companions were accounted for. Most importantly, Sebille still held the head of the Sallow Man. It was time that we made our delivery.

I looked up and whistled. The vines were unfurled down to us. One by one, we climbed the vines, Sebille being the last with the head still in her hand. Before long, we were standing before the Bishop and his dozen guards again. I saw Del was among them now.

"You've returned," the Bishop said.

"And not empty handed," I said. I took the head from Sebille and threw it onto the ground before him.

"Commendable work," he said. "With their leader dead, the Black Ring will be in disarray. It'll make our journey to the entrance easier."

"But that journey will be for nothing if no one knows how to open it," I said putting my hands on my hips.

"You've done your part and I shall do mine," Alexander said. "The entrance to the Council is lined with seven alters for the Seven gods. Each god has an affinity for the sun and moon and the alters need to be aligned accordingly. Rhalic, Vrogir and Zorl- Stissa favored the sun while the other four favored the moon. Once the alters are aligned correctly, there's a lever that only a godwoken can pull once a power source is put into place."

Alexander reached into his robs and produced a glowing grey and blue artifact.

"I have my power source here so I can enter. If you wish to accompany us, you may enter too. Once inside, we can decide who will become the next Divine."

"Very well," I said. "Feel free to lead the way."

Alexander straightened his posture as he addressed his men.

"To the Temple, men," he said. "Divinity is just within reach. Our brothers' and sisters' sacrifice will not be in vain."

The Magisters and Paladins dispersed. They walked across the platform, keeping several bodies between us and the Bishop. But we weren't going to be able to follow them when we turned around.

"Godwoken."

A female elf stood before us.

"The Scion of the Mother Tree awaits you. Please, follow me to the heart."

I'd almost forgotten about the other issue with Sebille. My eyes immediately shot to Sebille behind me. Suddenly, at least half a dozen elven warriors walked out and surrounded us. Alexander's entourage took notice and stopped for a moment.

"The Mother is dying, Sebille," the elf said. "You need to stop running. Please, think about the lives of your people. The mother needs you."

I looked down at Sebille. To my surprise, she wasn't as nervous as I expected her to be. Meanwhile, I was very nervous.

"I-"

"Let's get this over with, okay?" Sebille said. "The sooner the better."

I raised my brow. I looked over at Ifan and the Red Prince. They had their brows cocked in a similar fashion. Eventually, I nodded to Sebille.

I looked over at Alexander.

"We've a small detour to make. You go on ahead. I reckon we'll catch up before you have a chance to open the door."

"By all means do what is needed of you," Alexander said. "Just remember: Divinity won't wait forever, and I don't plan on any more delays."

The Bishop and his guards turned around and left us.

"Please follow me," the elf said.

She turned around and started to walk. We followed her lead before the elven soldiers forced us to follow her. She led us through a series of branches higher into the tree. Eventually, we found ourselves before an archway leading to a small leaf platform. In the center was a large lotus flower on the ground. Flanking the archway where two elven guards holding their spears. As we approached, they pulled their spears apart. The elf turned around and presented the way to the lotus.

"The mother awaits," she said. "Be quick. There is little time left."

She stood aside. I looked at the others and the guards who escorted us. We were in a corner. Our only options were to either fight or go to the heart. When I looked at Sebille, she had the same 'Let's get this over with' face as before. I took a deep breath and lead our party of four to the lotus. I was the first to step onto it. The petals folded up and surrounded me like a large cocoon. I then felt a rather slimy and sappy energy washed over me from my feet up. But before I could fully comprehend what happened, the energy fell from me and the petals folded away. When I stepped off the flower, I realized I wasn't in the tree's canopy anymore. Instead, I was in a wide-open room with roots and leaves sprawling everywhere. High above, the sun shone through openings in the wood. I was inside the base of the tree.

Then I heart a sound. The sound of a massive heartbeat. In front of me was an aisle of a dozen elven guards with spears lining both sides. At the end stood the Scion of the Mother Tree. And behind her was the Heart itself. The Heart was made of wood with glowing patches over its four chambers. It was quite a sight to behold. I turned around in time to see Sebille emerge from the flower followed by Ifan then the Red Prince.

"Godwoken," the Scion of the mother tree spoke to us. "Come forth."

I looked back at the others. Ifan and the Red Prince gave an unsure shrug while Sebille was still surprisingly calm about this. I took a deep breath and proceeded down the line of guards while Ifan and the Red Prince flanked Sebille behind me. When we reached the end, the Scion looked at me intently.

"The Shadow Prince has been silenced, has he not?" she asked.

I reached into my backpack and unfurled the blanket to present the heart I carved out of the bastard's chest.

"He will never again haunt anyone," I said.

The Scion took the heart from my hand. Without hesitation, she dug her teeth into the organ. She ate it one chamber at a time. One. Two. Three. Then four. She whipped the blood from her lips and bowed.

"You are a true friend of the elves, Godwoken," she said. "You shall be rewarded for your service. But there is a more pressing matter that must be addressed first."

Her eyes rested on the person behind me. To my surprise, Sebille brushed past me to stand before the Scion. Ifan and the Red Prince beside me as we watched the scene unfold.

"Sebille," the Scion spoke like a disappointed mother. "Your actions cause great pain to the Mother. You cause great pain to all elves when you run from duty. You cause great pain to yourself. But now you are here. The Mother forgives. It is time for you to fulfill your destiny. You are the Prime scion. You are the daughter of the Mother Tree. You are the one that will replace her."

I felt my heart race in my chest much faster than the Mother's heart.

"Wait!" I blurted out. All eyes in the chamber turned to me. "Are you saying you need her to do this now? We need her help in the Council of the Seven."

"Do not worry," the Scion said. "Sebille will be imbued with the Mother's sap and essence. She can continue to aid you once the ritual is complete. When a new Divine is chosen, our Prime Scion will take root to become the New Mother."

She placed her hand on Sebille's shoulder bringing her attention back to her.

"It is time Sebille. You must fulfill your destiny. The Mother demands it."

The Scion stood aside leaving the way to the heart open. Sebille looked back at the three of us. Her expression was very hard for me to decipher. But she gave us a grin before she turned around and took a step toward the heart.

"Sebille wait!"

I dashed over and took ahold of her arm. She stopped and looked back at me.

"It's okay," she said. She placed her hand on top of mine. "I'm not running anymore. I know what I must do."

I stood there unable to say anything.

"Just…" I said getting my words back. "Just be sure that this is what you want."

"Don't worry. It is."

She winked at me. I raised my brows. She turned around and I let go of her. I felt the Scion gently place her had on my shoulder.

"Please. Let our child fulfill her destiny."

I reluctantly walked back to Ifan and the Red Prince. Sebille was now merely inches away from the heart. A seam suddenly appeared in the middle of it. It opened itself to show a wad of glowing sap within. My heart continued to race in my chest. All Sebille needed to do was to step inside and the Mother Tree would have her. What would become of her?

But Sebille didn't step inside the heart. Instead, she put her hand on the outside. Our eyes widened in confusion.

"What is she doing?" the Red Prince whispered.

Neither I nor Ifan could answer because we were stunned by what happened next. From within Sebille's chest, a flow of source grew.

"NO!" the Scion shouted in horror. "STOP!"

She dashed towards Sebille but she was too late. The Source within Sebille shot up her arm and slammed into the Heart. The world around us shook, causing us to stumble. I heard a horrified scream pierce my ears and echo all around me. Then the chamber stood still, and the screams vanished. On my knees, I looked up to see Sebille still standing before the Heart. But the Heart was no longer beating. Instead it was shriveled and grey. Moments later, the grey from the heart creeped over the branches surrounding us. It continued to spread until the entire chamber was grey and withered. The Scion and the guards were all pale and hunched over, twitching like they were suffering from withdrawal. Sebille turned around to look at us with a rather satisfied face. I got to my feet and ran to her with the boys right behind me.

"What did-"

"No time!" Sebille cut me off. "Pyramid. Now!"

"Wha-?"

"Do it now unless you want to have to kill people you don't want to!"

I twirled around to look at the Scion and the guards. They were slowly getting to their feet, painful rage burning in their eyes. The Scion put her hand on her wand about to draw it. When the shock of what happened wore off, I placed my hand on the Pyramid on my thigh and felt everyone place their hands on my back. I focused my mind on the Red Pyramid.

"MURDERERS!" the Scion roared as she swung a glob of poison from her wand at us. But before I felt it splash on my face, I felt the world around me vanish.

* * *

I gasped feeling the world come back. I found myself in the exact same spot we teleported to from the Sallow Man's layer. I turned around to see Sebille pick up the Red Pyramid from the ground. She never picked it up when we teleported here the first time. She kept it here. Did she plan for this?

"Come on, let's get out of here!" Sebille said running ahead. In the heat of the moment, the rest of us could do nothing but follow her. We ran after Sebille through the forest for several minutes until we came to a clearing in the overgrown temples. Sebille stopped and the rest of us did too. I hunched over catching my breath. Once I got most of it back, I looked at Sebille. She was looking off in the distance behind me. When I turned around, I was both in shock and in awe from what I saw.

The Mother Tree, once full of lively green leaves, was now pale with wilting branches. All the life it once had was gone. All four of us stood staring at it.

"What did you just do?" Ifan asked.

We moved our eyes to Sebille. She looked at the three of us with a, at first, conflicted face. But it changed to a more confident one.

"I made a choice," she said.

Her words hung in the air. I didn't know what to say.

"Not that I disagree with this choice," the Red Prince said. "But have you considered that you did what the Shadow Prince wanted to do ever since he enslaved you?"

She stared at the withered tree for a long moment. Eventually, she looked back at us with an even more confident face.

"No," she said plainly. "He wanted the Mother Tree destroyed…"

She brought up a finger.

"…and he wanted to live."

She pulled up her sleeve on her right arm.

"He wanted more than just the Mother Tree destroyed. He wanted his opponents dead. He wanted control. He didn't truly believe in the greater good of Rivellon. If he did, he would have risked his own life to destroy the Mother Tree instead of using me."

She pulled up her sleeve and looked over at me.

"Unlike some people who are willing to put their lives on the line to help others."

She put her hand onto an imaginary necklace that hung on her neck. I put my hand on top of my amulet in turn. I knew she talked about both me and Slane. Her eyes wandered back to the tree in the distance. Even with that speech, I could tell this choice was weighing down on her. I walked to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"But how do you feel about this?" I asked her.

Sebille closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"Deep down it feels like a betrayal. A just betrayal. I know that many will say I've failed my people, but I don't think I have. Even as I sat on the Prime Scion's throne as a child, watching pilgrims pass by in worship, I could hear her whisper. Much like the Master would whisper. Mother and Master, there was precious little difference between the two. Both of them longed for power so absolute it's no more than an abstract. Yet is that very abstract that causes so much actual misery for those that stand in its way. My heart may be conflicted, but my mind is not. I did the right thing."

I understood the situation she was in. I still loved my family, but I could never go back to the life I had and marry Brell for their sake. Not after what I've experienced. The path I was on now was the life I wanted.

"Well, whatever happens now," I said to Sebille. "I'm happy that you're finally free. From both the Shadow Prince and the Mother Tree."

She grinned and came in for another hug. I returned the gesture. When we came out of it, I noticed Ifan staring at the dead tree with a conflicted face of his own.

"Are you okay, Ifan?" Sebille asked.

He looked over at Sebille and me. He put his hands on his hips and sighed uneasily.

"I…honestly don't know," he said. "The elves were my family. Even after seeing them die from the deathfog, it continues to hurt me seeing them in the world battered and bruised. When we rescued Sahalia from Roost, I had hope that they could recover and overcome the hardships they were facing."

He glanced at the Tree again.

"Now, seeing another tree die like this, I have a terrible feeling in my gut about their survival."

He puckered his lips and his eyes winced.

"But at the same time, I can't believe I never knew about the Mother Tree's true intentions. If the deathfog was never used, if Sebille never ran away, would the Mother Tree have killed me along with the rest of Rivellon because I wasn't an elf? Would my adoptive family have allowed that to happen?"

I could sense another sense of betrayal in Ifan. To have his leader lie to him to murder his entire family was devastating. But learning that his adoptive family's leader was planning on his and the world's demise was taxing on him too. It was an uncomfortable spot for him to be in.

"I guess it shows there's a dark side to every race in this world," Sebille said. "Humans have their Divine Orders. Lizards have their slavers. Dwarves have their Queen Jestinas. And elves have their Mother Trees."

Ifan only responded with silence while staring at the dead tree. Sebille then looked over at me and the Red Prince.

"I guess I owe you two another apology," she said.

"For what?" I asked.

"For assuming lizards were evil in the beginning. My past self really sounds like a hypocrite, doesn't she? I mean, after learning about what my race wanted to do to everyone else, seems like elves aren't that less guilty than all the others, huh?"

She put her hands on her hips and hung her head in embarrassed shame. To her surprise, the Red Prince walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Well, if you believe you owe us an apology, then I can forgive you," he said. "We've faced many obstacles on our adventure. But the greatest obstacle was humility. And its humility that allows us to admit our mistakes to change ourselves for the better. Since you've destroyed the Mother Tree and spared my kin from her wrath, I'll try my best to free your kind from the Empire's slavers. It may take time, but I promise I will do something about it."

Sebille tilted her head.

"That's sweet of you," she said. She leaned in and gave him a kiss on his check. His eyes widened in surprise. All Sebille did was smile. But before anyone could continue, we heard someone approach. All four of us turned around and all our eyes widened when we saw a familiar face.

"Sahalia?" Sebille said.

The blindfolded elf stood with three other elven guards behind her.

"You did it Sebille," she said. "The Mother is dead. She no longer controls us. Now I see the truth. The elves are free. Free to choose our future."

Her words surprised me. Before she vouched for Sebille becoming the Mother Tree. But now, she was thankful for her demise. It put a smile on my face. But Ifan walked up to Sahalia with a suspicious look in his eyes.

"Will it be a future that won't involve the death of anyone who isn't an elf?" he asked.

Sahalia turned her head in Ifan's direction, not making direct eye contact due to her blindness.

"The elves will be divided for a time. Many will mourn the Mother Tree. But I will not forget the kindness human and lizard have given me. We will unite to fight the Voidwoken alongside those who share this world with us."

Ifan's uncertainty slowly faded. He took her hand and gently caressed the back of her palm.

"If there's anything I can do to help your people, just ask," he said. Sahalia smiled and nodded her head in appreciation. She then wandered over to me. She held out her hand and I took it. Like Ifan, she caressed the back of my palm with her other hand.

"I see the future before you, Mahalia," she said. "You have many challenges and enemies to face. But you will overcome them to become a true force to save our world and make a change for the better."

A grin grew on my face. Though she couldn't see it, I had a feeling Sahalia felt the smile I made.

"Thank you, Sahalia," I said. Sahalia let go of my hand and bowed gracefully before me.

"You must go now and fulfill your calling. We shall depart and make our preparations for the future. I bid you well, my friend."

With that, she turned around and joined her bodyguards to leave for the shore. I looked over at Ifan. He was feeling better from the look in his eyes. Sebille was too along with the Red Prince.

"I suppose the future of the elves is something we don't have to worry about at too much," the Red Prince said.

"Guess not," Ifan said. He then looked up at the mountain. "But we'd better get a move on. I don't want Alexander to enter the Council without us."

My brows rose.

"No time to waste then," I said. "let's go."

With that, we were off.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** One thing that always bothered me about Chris Avellone stories is that almost every choice feels like the result has a disgusting catch that makes you say, "What was the point?" For me, Sahalia's conclusion was especially disappointing. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. With the real-world as divided as it is, I feel like we need more stories that tell us we can overcome our problems for a better future instead of constantly being reminded of our imperfections and being slapped in the face to remind us no matter what we do, the world is doomed and all you can do is choose how doomed it is in the end.

Other than that, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

We made our way through the ruins to the base of the mountain. Along the way, we noticed several corpses of Black Ring and Divine Order strewn about.

"Looks like Alexander's entourage ran into some trouble," Sebille said.

I felt bad that some of the humans died when I did my best to spare them when we confronted Alexander. But Del's body wasn't part of the newly dead so that was relief enough for me. When we arrived at the door, it was exactly what Alexander had described. Seven large alters stood around a stone rectangle, three on the left, three on the right and one in the back on the opposite end of where the entrance was. Alexander, along with the six surviving Magisters and Paladins, Del included, stood at the front of the door blocked by a green magical barrier. To the left of the Bishop, his power source rested on a square pedestal that surged with electricity. To his right, a lever stood. When we approached, he and his guards turned their attention to us.

"Ah," the bishop said. "I was starting to doubt you were going to appear."

"Our meeting took a little longer than expected," I said. "But we're here now. You can resume what you were doing."

"Very well," the Bishop said. "All the alters have been aligned accordingly and the power source has been placed. There's only one final step."

The Bishop turned around and took hold of the lever. He pulled it and with a loud clunk, all the alters around the rectangle glowed and surged with energy. The energy surged alter to alter until it jumped to the magical barrier. A moment later, the barrier fell, leaving the large stone door to be opened.

"Be on guard men," Alexander said.

A pair of his guards walked up to the large green door about to open it. But before they could, a voice shouted from behind us.

"ALEXANDER!"

All of us turned around.

"Gareth?" I said.

Gareth shuffled past us, his great sword in hand. Alexander's guards drew their weapons and stood between him and Gareth. The Seeker stood in battle ready stance, ready to take the seven humans before him.

"Be at ease, men!" Alexander said. "Stand down."

His guards sheathed their weapons but kept themselves between him and Gareth.

"Gareth," Alexander said. "I have done you a grave injustice. I was deceived, and I was too weak, too naïve to see it."

Alexander held out his hands outwards towards Gareth, his staff resting flat against his palms. It was a gesture of goodwill and peace. Gareth's arms shook, his sword twitching in his hands.

"That's it?!" Gareth said. "You defend yourself on the basis of ignorance?! You expect me to forgive you for everything you've taken from me?! Every fallen Seeker, every friend, every slain Godwoken… my own parents! No. I've forgotten nothing Alexander. You are the sinner. Yet the Gods have allowed us to suffer for it."

He pulled his sword back ready to charge into the Bishop's protection. But, like not two hours ago, I jumped in front of Gareth with my arms held up. Gareth stared at me stunned.

"What are you doing?!" Gareth shouted at me still enraged.

"What I already did for Ifan," I said. "I'm making sure a good man does not give in to revenge."

Gareth's gaze shot over to Ifan behind him.

"Do you actually forgive this swine?!"

He looked over at Sebille and the Red Prince then me again.

"All of you forgive him?"

"No," I said. "But I know that petty revenge won't make you feel any better. Remember what you told me about celebrating your parents for the love they gave you?"

The burning hate in his eye slowly started to dim. Ifan then came over and placed his hand on Gareth's shoulder.

"She's turned into quite the virtuous Knight, hasn't she?" he said with a shining grin on his face. Gareth turned his gaze back to me.

"When the time comes," I said. "We will face Alexander and one of us will ascend instead of him. He will be powerless and will no longer harm anyone. That is a promise."

Gareth's hands trembled. All of his hatred burned out of him. Slowly, his arms went limp and the tip of his sword embedded into the stone floor. He sighed deeply.

"You truly are a Godwoken," Gareth said. "Perhaps my faith can be restored even after all that's happened to me."

He pulled his sword up and sheathed it behind his back.

"I shall return to the lifeboat and await your return."

He turned around ready to leave, but the Red Prince grabbed his arm.

"Do you mind waiting here for a few minutes?" he asked Gareth. He handed the hilt of the Swornbreaker to Gareth. "The second half of the Swornbreaker Almira talked about is in there. You would do me the greatest favor by bringing both pieces safely to the Lady Vengeance."

Gareth looked around with his brows creased.

"I suppose I could do that," he said.

"Thank you, Gareth," the Red Prince bowed deeply.

With that, the Red Prince joined the rest of us while Gareth stood at attention with the hilt of the Swornbreaker in his hand. With our group back together, we looked at Alexander through all his guards.

"You may proceed, you're Holiness," Sebille said to Alexander with a dramatic bow. Alexander responded with an irritated sneer.

"Onwards men," he said. Two of his guards placed their hands on the door. Before they pushed, the two sides of the door slide open.

I looked over at the others. Their expressions were what I expected. Excited. Curious. Terrified. All the things one would feel with their long journey coming to a close. Alexander and his guards entered first followed by the four of us. Once inside, we found ourselves in a long hallway illuminated by blue and green lights, similar to the artifacts we found in the caves by the Black Pits.

Alexander's entourage stopped suddenly. When we looked through crowd, we saw something standing in front of the door at the end of the hall. It was an amphibious voidwoken with bioluminescent skin, a long tail and sharp teeth and claws.

"Step back, Hunola!" it spoke with a hissing voice like the worm monster we thought killed Alexander back at Fort Joy. "The time of Mortals draws to a close. We have returned to claim what is ours. We have returned to claim the world."

Alexander stood before the creature with his guards flanking him.

"I'm warning you, foul creature," him said. "Stand aside and allow me to claim to my birthright. Return to the void and leave our world alone."

"This is not your world!" the voidwoken snapped. "This is our world. We are not the void. You are of the Void."

Alexander retorted.

"Whatever deception you bring, it will not work monster! The Gods have tasked me to protect our world from the destruction you bring to us."

"The gods? You mean the Seven usurpers. They took our powers and used them to create you. They sent us to the Void and thought we'd never we'd never return. They were wrong. And now they will face the wrath of the King."

"Wait," I stepped around the guards to stand to the left of the Voidwoken. "The gods betrayed you?"

The Voidwoken hissed and snarled before he answered my question.

"Whatever lies your pitiful god has told you has fallen mute, mortal. Because of their betrayal, you exist. Because of what was stolen from us, you exist. Because of the powers we lost, you exist. We will have them back. But we will not fight your husk, mortal. The time will come when the thieving coward inside of you must step out. If it can still walk! You shall end then."

The voidwoken hissed and backed away. In a flash of black energy, it disappeared. I looked at Alexander down the line of his guards. He stepped forward to address them.

"Do not let that monster deceive you, men," He said. "The voidwoken are monsters who will do everything they can to destroy us. We will continue on and ensure the salvation of our world."

Alexander continued down the hall with his followers while my compatriots came over to me.

"Do you think it's true?" I asked them. "The gods created our world by betraying the beings that are now the voidwoken?"

"Could be," the Red Prince said. "We saw them fighting amongst each other when we first encountered them at Fort Joy. Instead of fighting together, they fought each other. Makes sense they would betray someone for their benefit."

"Even so, the voidwoken don't seem keen on sparing us in their quest for vengeance," Sebille said.

She was right. The voidwoken had claimed so many lives so far. They didn't care about our existence. Even if they could earn sympathy from being wronged by the gods, we were going to die either way.

"If that's how things are, then we have no choice but to fight," I said.

"And fight we will," Ifan said.

I nodded. We followed Alexander through the door. We found ourselves in another long hallway. But this time, there were two doors, one on the left, one on the right. At the very end was a flight of stairs leading to another magical barrier in the distance. We all proceeded down the stairs to the barrier. Behind it looked to be a large alter of sorts sitting at the top of a smaller flight of wide steps. Was that the entrance to the Well of Ascension?

When we looked around, there were two obelisks flanking the barrier. The top of the one on the left was broken. But the top of the right one was still intact. Along with that, there were two pedestals before the obelisks like the one Alexander put his power source on at the entrance.

"Men," Alexander said. "I shall remain here while you send a search party to find a way to bring the barrier down."

"Yes, your holiness," a paladin said with a bow. He chose two of the guards to follow him. One of them was Del. The rest stood guard in front of Alexander.

"You want our help?" I said.

"You've spared my life from your followers twice already. I believe I can trust you to not slaughter my men while they work to allow us access to the Well of Ascension."

With that, the three guards and the four of us proceeded back up the steps to the hallway with the two doors. The guards and Del went to the door on the left leaving us to go to the one on the right. The Red Prince put his hand on the door, and it slid open. We looked inside to see it was an archive of sorts. Several tables and desks were littered around the room as well as several floating bookshelves. All made out the metallic material the hallway was made of. It reminded me of the academy I attended in my youth. If the fate of the world wasn't on our agenda, I would have loved to spend some quality time here.

"Mahalia."

I turned around to see Del standing before me.

"Do you have a minute?"

I looked back at the others.

"Go on ahead," I said.

The three of them nodded and went through the door. It was only me and Del in the hallway now.

"I've been wanting to tell you something," Del said.

"What's that?" I asked. Del looked around meekly.

"Ever since your arrival here, things have changed for me."

"You mean with the whole godwoken business?"

"Yeah," Del shrugged. "Before, when Alexander came back and the Order was split, I was in a predicament. The Order still learned about what I did at Fort Joy. But Alexander and the Loyalists forgave me when I was given the opportunity to join them. At first, I believed I joined Alexander because I truly believed he was the one to save us, that he truly had changed when he separated himself from Dallis."

A stroke of realization and doubt took over his face.

"But now, I'm thinking the reason I joined him was because I needed something to believe in after my delusions were shattered after my time stationed at Fort Joy. After seeing what you did to spare my brothers from bloodshed, I'm beginning to have a hope that perhaps someone else will become the next Divine instead of him."

I raised my brows.

"I won't betray my brothers, but when the time comes, I'll be praying you will be the one to ascend. From the kindness you've shown me, I think you'd be a better god than Alexander. I'm just sorry I didn't see it earlier."

He put his hands on his hips and looked down ashamedly. I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder.

"I can forgive you for that," I said. "Though we find ourselves on opposite ends, I'm glad to have met you."

Del smiled and put his hand on top of mine.

"Good Luck, Mahalia," Del said. With that, he proceeded to the other door returning to his brothers in arms.

"HE-HA!"

I turned around to see the Red Prince leap out the door with a large blade in his hands. When I looked closer, it was the shape of a scythe blade.

"Is that-?"

"The other half of the Swordbreaker?" the Red Prince said with a big smile on his face. "Yes, it is!"

He looked to the entrance hall rather giddily.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said before he dashed down the hall to the entrance. When my surprise wore off, I stepped into to room just in time to see what Ifan and Sebille were doing.

"Let's see what happens," Sebille said. In the back corner of the room was a large device in the wall. Sebille had found another power source and placed it into a slot on the side of the device. The device surged with energy and the crystal on the top of it shot a beam up. It reflected off another crystal on the ceiling. After that, the beam reflected off a series of other crystals across the room until it shot through a hole above the door. I followed the beam out of the room into the hall with the others behind me. The beam reflected off a crystal on the opposite wall and was redirected down the hall toward the barrier. Just then, the Red Prince came back from the entrance hall. His eyes were drawn to the beam running to the barrier.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I think we found part of the key to opening the barrier," Ifan said. "Gareth got the Swornbreaker okay?"

"He's on his way back to the Lady Vengeance to give both pieces to Almira," he said with so much hope. "Oh, I pray she can assemble it."

Just then, the soldiers emerged from the other door, two them carrying a power source each. They walked down the hall back to the barrier with the rest of us following. The beam we activated flowed into the intact obelisk, causing it glow.

"Very good, men," Alexander said. "Place the power sources onto the pedestals."

The soldiers did as they were told and both pedestals surged with energy. The intact obelisk surged as the beam passed through it into the barrier. A moment later, the barrier fell. The way was clear to the alter. Alexander was the first to approach. He put his foot onto the first step. When he did, the area around the alter illuminated with a humming energy sound. The alter shook and suddenly levitated from the floor. Suddenly, the alter separated into several pieces in the air.

"Bzzzt, bzzzt," a buzzing sound came from the assembling pieces. Eventually, the pieces formed into shape of a floating automation. I've read about these in my studies. They were like machines but with a conscious. The automation had a trapezoidal head with an optical lens that served as an eye. It turned its head to Alexander.

"You. Have. Come. To. The. Arena. Of. The. One," The automation spoke in a slow, monotone female voice. It's lens then looked over the rest of the people in the vicinity. "There. Are. Five. Godwoken. Here."

On the top of the steps, five glowing circles appeared.

"All. Godwoken. Please. Come. To. Their. Place. To. Begin. The. Battle."

It looked like the battle for Divinity was going to be an arena battle. At least we didn't have to stress about Alexander running off to obtain Divinity without us. Alexander looked back at his men.

"I thank you, my Magisters and Paladins," he said. "Your sacrifice and your courage have brought me here today. This is where I leave you now. When I return, you will have the honor to witness my rebirth as the god of this world. The war with the Voidwoken has only begun. But with your devotion to me, we will save Rivellon together."

Alexander climbed the steps to the top. He stood in the leftmost circle. The soldiers looked over at the four of us before walking to the side. The automation moved its head to us.

"Are. You. Ready. Godwoken?"

I looked at the others before I gave my answer.

"We need a minute," I said.

"The. Battle. Will. Begin. When. All. Godwoken. Are. Ready."

The automation stood at attention, patiently waiting for us. The four of us stood in a circle looking at each other. I could feel everyone's hearts pounding in their chests, not just my own. This was it.

"So…" Sebille said with her arms crossed. "This is the end of the line. Only one of us can ascend. The only question is: who?"

The eyes of the circle wandered over to the Red Prince first. He sighed deeply.

"You've kept your promise to help me find Sadha," he said with an earnest bow. "I will keep mine. I will aid you three in the arena. Whoever becomes the Divine will be between the three of you."

From the look in his eyes, he meant it. Truly. It was now between Ifan, Sebille and me. Everyone's eyes fell on Sebille next. She sighed too.

"All I've ever wanted was to be myself. And now I am myself again. The chains of the Master and the Mother Tree are gone thanks to the help of my friends."

She clasped her hands together meekly.

"I've no real desire for Divinity. I already have what I've always wanted. Freedom. And with my freedom, I choose to be here to help you. I have your backs."

He bowed her head humbly. Not as a servant, but as a loyal friend. My eyes rested on Ifan now. He placed his hands on his hips. He looked over at Alexander behind me.

"To have all that power runs the risk of having it corrupt whoever wields it. I saw what it did to Lucian, a soldier like me. I really don't want it to happen to anyone else. But if there's no other way to save our world, then the Divine needs to be someone who's the least susceptible to that corruption."

He looked directly at me now. With only a look, I knew. I felt my heart pounded harder in my chest. Ifan grinned a confident smile. He walked closer to me and placed his hand over my amulet.

"You're an honorary Dragon Knight," he said. "You've used the power Slane gave you for the good of everyone. If there's anyone who can be trusted to use this power in the best way, it's you."

He pulled his hand away from my amulet. He paused for a moment. He looked up at me with a sincere face now.

"Two days ago, we told each other what our favorite part of our adventure was. Well, I'm going to have to change mine too."

He reached up and caressed my cheek with is hand.

"You."

All I could do was look deep into his eyes.

"You're the most incredible person I've ever met. I can think of no one better to have shared this adventure with."

He took a deep uneasy breath and sighed. His thumb slowly caressed the scales on my cheek. I felt a knot in my chest tighten. Like what happened on the first day we were on Reaper's Coast, the emotions in me took over.

I cupped my hands around the back of his head and brought my lips to his.

The moment lasted only seconds, but it felt longer for me. I felt his whiskers brushing against my snout and chin while the warmth of his lips passed to me. My eyes were closed, but I felt his surprised expression change when his lips shifted against mine. He gently wrapped his arms around my waist and brought me close. Like all the other times, I felt the warmth of his body warm my cold blood. Only this time, I felt myself feel warmer inside.

I gingerly pulled my lips away and opened my eyes. Ifan smiled warmly at me. I smiled back.

"Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome," he said.

We turned our attention to the others. The Red Prince's eyes were wide open. He crossed his arms and shifted his weight back and forth. Sebille only grinned while nodding slowly. I didn't bother to see the Magisters' and Paladins' reactions. It didn't matter anyway. Ifan let go of me and stood at attention, regaining his professional demeanor. He addressed everyone in our group.

"Okay. Once we're in the arena, we focus on finishing first. We protect Mahalia and get her to where she needs to go. No hesitations. No stopping. Got it?"

"Got it," Sebille and the Red Prince said. Ifan looked directly at me next.

"Got it," I said. He nodded. We were ready.

All four of us walked up the steps and stood in the remaining four circles.

"Are. You. Prepared. Godwoken?" the machine asked. It looked over at The Red Prince first on the far right.

"Yes," the Red Prince said.

The machine went down the line.

"Yes," Sebille said.

"Yes," Ifan said.

"Yes," I said.

"Yes, I am," Alexander said.

The machine stood at attention.

"All. Godwoken. Are. Ready. I. Take. You. Now. To. The. Arena. Of. The. One."

The Machine's arms shifted and realigned themselves.

The. Wellspring. Awaits. The. Victor. There. You. May. Fall. OR. YOU. MAY. RISE."

The machine raised its realigned hands to us and in a mighty green flash, we were gone.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Man, these chapters always end up being longer than I anticipate even when I do my absolute best to cut as much filler as possible. But I'm happy that I'm making the most out of my extra time by making major progress with this. I couldn't have made it this far without your support and feedback.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

I gasped back into reality. I found myself in the middle of a room with just enough room to stand in. Before me, another barrier stood. Beyond it, a large, rectangular arena stood. I was in a release cage waiting to be let into the arena.

"So. It. Begins," the machine's voice echoed through the room. "The. First. Godwoken. To. Enter. The. Wellspring. Of Ascension. Becomes. Divine."

Beyond the arena, flights of stairs lead down to a series of decaying platforms. At the very bottom, before a large chasm leading into pit of lava, I could see a large alter that brimmed with Source. That had to be the Wellspring the machine talked about. But between the arena and the Wellspring were at least a dozen automations hovering around on patrol. It looked like we were going to have to fight them.

"May. The. New. Divine. Be. Worthy," the machine continued. "For. The Rest. May. She. Have. Mercy. On. Your. Soul."

The battle was about to start. I took my ready stance.

"To. The. Wellspring. Of Ascension."

The barrier dropped.

"BEGIN."

I shot out of the cage. Five long steps and I was in the middle of the arena. To my left and right, my three companions came together. On the other side of the arena was Alexander. Everyone took their stance next to me. When I took a moment to feel myself over, I was replenished with Source. The automation who brought us here must have replenished our Source for the battle.

"How do you want to do this?" Sebille asked.

I looked over at the path of automations guarding the way to the wellspring. Then I looked at Alexander. We could easily take him on together. But something in me told me that wouldn't be appropriate. I stood before the rest.

"You clear the way to the Wellspring," I said. "I'll take care of things over here."

Everyone looked at me with surprise.

"You want to face Alexander alone?" Sebille asked.

"We did decide I was to be the one," I said. "I figured it would be appropriate that we figured out who would be the best by having it be decided in a fair fight."

The Red Prince raised his brows.

"The honor of a duelist," he said in admiration. "Even my old self would respect such a decision."

I looked over at Ifan. At first, he seemed a little conflicted about my choice. But eventually his face grew a grin.

"Make his defeat as humiliating as possible," Ifan said clapping me on the shoulder.

"Don't worry," I winked at him.

Ifan and the others turned and proceeded down the steps to take care of the automations. That left Alexander and me as the only ones left in the arena. The young man locked his gaze with me with his staff at the ready. I held my shield in front with my wand in relaxed ready position. We started to circle each other.

"I wouldn't have expected you to throw away such an advantage while you had it, Sourcerer," Alexander said.

"Well, I wouldn't want to see you crying about losing when it wasn't a fair fight."

His right eye twitched in irritation.

"Your words mean nothing!" Alexander said. "Now, I will claim my birthright!"

His staff brimmed with energy. He swung it sending a ball of light toward me. I was already ahead of him, having just unfurled my wings. I hopped into the air, dodging the attack. When it missed, I banked hard to the left as the next attack whizzed past me followed by a bank to the right to dodge the third. After I came out of the third dodge, I sent the three ice shards of my Ice Fan at him. He raised his staff up at the last second before the shards exploded. When I landed, the ice dissipated. Alexander was still alive, but the ice encased him partially. In a flash, he channeled his Source to shake all the ice from his body.

"You will not be lucky the next time!" he said.

An aura of source surrounded him, creating a shield. It looked like he was channeling his Source to protect himself. A plan started to form in my head. Alexander raised his staff again sending another volley of projectiles at me which I easily dodged. But after the last one, he raised his staff height above his head. I knew what was coming next. I raised my head and let out my fire breath, melting the shards of hail he wanted to bring down on me. Before Alexander could do anything else, I dashed forward with my wings and ignited my whip. I swung it against Alexander, the tip slashing against his Source shield. I heard him gasp from the impact before I unleashed my lightning breath, covering him in the electrified cloud. Before I could do more damage though, a blinding light came through the cloud. I managed to jump back in time to avoid the brunt of the flash. I could still see good enough when I landed a good distance from the now glowing bishop.

"YOU WON'T BEST ME, LIZARD!" Alexander was now shouting. He still wore his Source shield over his body, but his stance was less composed now. He was irritated. That could either work in my favor by throwing off his focus. Or it could be a detriment if he chose to be more aggressive. I decided to take the former route.

"Tell me, Alexander," I said as we circled each other again. "Does your desire for Divinity come from Rivellon expecting you to be like your father?"

The bishop's eyes tightened. His teeth gritted.

"Shut up," he said in annoyed anger.

"Must be hard to hope to lead the world out of darkness when you can't escape your own father's shadow."

"SHUT UP!" he raised his voice to accommodate his rising anger.

"Tell me, would Lucian be proud seeing his son like this?"

"SHUT YOUR MAW, YOU SCALE SKIN WHORE!"

Alexander launched a glob of oil at me. Unfortunately, I leaned on my tongue too much and wasn't fast enough to get out of the way. I found myself slathered in the oil and stuck to the ground. I wouldn't be able to use my wings to fly away. When I looked up at Alexander, I saw him channeling large amounts of Source for a massive attack. But his concentration on that attack left me a small window to prepare. Thinking quickly, I decided to channel my Source and bless the oil I was stuck in. In that small moment, the oil was no longer was sticking to me. I was free. When Alexander unleashed his ultimate attack, I launched myself into the air barely escaping the Epidemic of Fire that erupted under me. As the flames raged below, I dove straight for Alexander. I took a huge breath and unleashed my frost breath onto him. His Source shield took the brunt of the attack. But it didn't last. Just as the last of my ice breath exited my mouth, his Source shield shattered. He stumbled backwards. He was out of Source. He was vulnerable. I ignited my flame whip. Before he could recover, I swung my whip around at him. The tip seared through his robes and made deep gash in his right knee. He wailed in pain, falling to the ground face first. He dropped his staff at my feet.

Alexander, the son of Lucian, was defeated.

"No," Alexander said banging his fists on the ground. "No. No! No! This is not possible!"

I deactivated my whip and picked up his staff.

"Of course, it is," I said looking at the glowing headpiece. "We had a duel and you lost. No complaining about how the match was unfair now. I did make it a fair fight."

"NOAUG!"

Alexander tried getting to his feet but the pain in his leg kept him from doing so. He panted and groaned when he looked up at me with a burning red face.

"I CAN'T LOSE! I CAN'T! I'M THE DIVINE'S SON. IT IS MY BIRTHRIGHT! IT IS MY DESTINY! THAT POWER BELONGS TO ME! IT'S MINE! MINE!"

I looked down at the groveling man with pity. I was right in not wanting to kill him. It would be too easy. He needed to see his mistakes and learn from them by being alive. I put both of my hands on the staff and smashed the headpiece into a thousand pieces. Alexander screamed angerly through his teeth seeing me destroy his weapon.

"Was it your destiny to have that power?" I asked him. "Or was it your destiny to save Rivellon?"

He only looked up me with his searing gaze. I dropped the broken staff before him.

"To be honest, I really wish I didn't have to become Divine to save Rivellon. I think I have more than enough power on my own."

I kneeled and looked deep into the bishop's eyes.

"But if becoming Divine is the only way to save our world from the Voidwoken, then I'm willing to make the sacrifice."

I brought my hand to my amulet.

"After all, it is my duty to protect the people of Rivellon from the cruelty of those who wish to harm them."

I stood up and walked away from my defeated opponent. When I reached the steps, I looked down to see my friends had blown through almost all the automations themselves. Nine wrecks of machines littered the stairs and platforms. At the bottom, only three remained. And I could see my friends about to engage them. I unfurled my wings and leapt into the air. I was about halfway down before I saw Ifan look up at me.

"CLEAR THE WAY!" Ifan shouted. All three of my friends engaged the automations. All their attention was on them, leaving a small opening straight to the well. I knew what Ifan wanted me to do. No hesitations. No stopping. I needed to get to the Wellspring and finish this right away. I leaned in and dove to the opening. I whooshed past the machines and hit the ground running. I retracted my wings and sprinted to the Wellspring.

 _This is it. Time to save the world. Time to ascend._

But when I was merely five steps from the Wellspring, I was suddenly thrown off my feet. I felt my back slam against the floor. When I opened my eyes, my vision was a haze and my hearing was muffled. Through my blurred vision, I saw two faces looking down at me. I felt two sets of hands on my shoulders and the back of my neck.

"-halia, are you okay?"

I was sitting up when my senses returned to normal. Ifan and the Red Prince were sitting beside me with Sebille standing behind. I was about to reply to Ifan but something caught my eye. Or rather someone. Someone who stood between me and the Wellspring.

"So good of you to come, Godwoken," Dallis said with a pleased smile on her face. Next to her stood her masked servant Vredeman. The mere sight of them sparked instant anger from within me. I immediately got to my feet and drew my weapon with my friends doing the same.

"What are you doing here?!" I shouted. "How did you get here?!"

Dallis responded with an almost mocking smile.

"Isn't it obvious? The Lady Vengeance is my ship."

A cold realization struck me.

"You know you are many things. But above all of you are… reliable. Reliable to the point of being predictable."

I gritted my teeth.

 _Gods damn it! How could I have been this stupid?!_

"DALLIS!"

We turned around see Alexander limping his way to us, using his broken staff as a crutch for his crippled leg. His hands trembled and his face gritted with bitter rage. He stood to the far right of us.

"I BELIEVED YOU, DALLIS! YOU TOLD ME I WAS THE ONE! BUT YOU LIED. YOU BETRAYED ME! WHY?! WHY DO YOU WISH TO DENY ME DIVINITY?! WHY DO YOU WANT OUR WORLD TO FALL TO THE GOD KING?!"

Alexander panted in exhaustion and rage, his grip on his broken staff tightened as he leaned more heavily on it. Vredeman bore a very amused grin on his half-covered face.

"You are right, mistress," he said. "He is an imbecile."

"Not an imbecile," she sighed. "Just misguided."

She addressed Alexander directly.

"You see Alexander, I don't intend to let the world fall to the God King. But Divinity isn't the solution to the world's ills. It's the problem."

It was then I noticed she was holding something in her arms. It was the length of a staff but was wide and looked rather heavy. She held the device like a heavy crossbow and pointed the four-pronged tip straight at Alexander.

"I am here to fix that."

A beam of green light emerged from the device and hit Alexander square in the chest. He groaned with pain, falling to his knees and dropping his staff. He threw his head up and arms out. He screamed as his entire body was dissolved into nothing, all to be pulled into the device. The memory of seeing the Shriekers at Fort Joy crumble after I used the Purging Wand on them made me realize what that device was. The Aeteran. The object the Magisters dug up in the caves near the Black Pits. Dallis had used the Aeteran on Alexander. Now he was gone. His body. His Source. His soul. He was gone.

Dallis exhaled, expressing some satisfaction with her use of the device. She glanced at her servant.

"Now, keep the others busy while I do what needs to be done."

"Yes, mistress," Vredeman said.

She turned around and pointed the Aeteran at the Wellspring. Before any of us could do anything, Vredeman maneuvered his hands and his body glowed with energy. From above, a familiar sound emerged. My mind snapped.

"STAY UNDER THE DOME!" I shouted.

Everyone jumped over to me. I pulled my Dome of Protection up just as the meteors fell from above and slammed all around us. Through the onslaught of fire, I saw Dallis do the unthinkable. The beam emerged from the Aeteran and slammed into the Wellspring. I watched as the device absorbed all the Source that brewed within it. And I couldn't stop her. None of us could. With no Source left, the Wellspring crumbled to dust. She turned around to face us just as the firestorm ended and my Dome fell. My body shook in disbelief. Disbelief that transformed into anger.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" I shouted at her.

Dallis looked at the device in her arms.

"I've fixed a terrible mistake," she said. She then looked at us with a discerning look. "As for you four, you shall be little more than relics of a bygone time. And this place shall be your tomb. Goodbye."

I reared my head back and unleashed a fireball at them. But Dallis and her servant disappeared, leaving my fireball to fly harmlessly across the chasm. They got away. They got away and they took the Source of the Well of Ascension. Everything we worked for, escaping Fort Joy, finding the Source Masters and opening the door to the Council of the Seven. All of it was for nothing. The very thing we needed was gone. I couldn't ascend. None of us could. We failed.

"GAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGHH!"

The anger in me was incomprehensible. The pride the High Judge of the Divine took in turning Sourcerers into Silent Monks. The enjoyment Red Prince expressed when he described the slave scar. The revelation of Sadha's desire to merge the House of War and Law together. None of those infuriated me more than what Dallis did only seconds ago.

But I was going to have to throw my tantrum later. The chamber around us shook. The lava at the far bottom of the chasm began to rise. From above, boulders broke and fell from the ceiling, crashing all around us. The floor beneath us started to fall apart. Deep within my gut, I could feel the instability surge throughout the entire island. It was about to blow! With us in it!

"Run!" Ifan shouted.

All four of us turned around and ran as fast as we could away from the chasm. We climbed the stairs passed the remains of the machines my friends took care of. The floor started to crumble and fall behind us. We dodged falling debris until we made it to the top. When we stopped to catch our breath in the main arena, I watched as the rest of the stairs and platforms below collapsed fell, widening the chasm.

It looked to be stable enough here in the arena, but for how long? Moreover, how were we going to get out of here. When we looked around the arena, there weren't any doors or openings anywhere. Only the cages we were teleported into when we were brought here.

"Look for anything that can get us out!" Ifan said.

Everyone dispersed to start the search. But I only took a step before I felt my body freeze. I felt the anger in my body burn again. But this time, it felt different. Like my anger had formed into a physical entity. A physical entity that surged to every corner in my body. I hunched over and fell on all fours. The others took notice and rushed over to me.

"Mahalia," Ifan said. "What is it? What's wrong?"

I couldn't answer him. I panted and squeezed my eyes tight. I felt my entire body thrash around uncontrollably. I felt the others take hold of my arms and head, trying to hold me still. Inside my head, I heard a familiar voice sing a familiar song.

 _I called a hero from the chaff; I called her here to me. I called a hero from below, and she shall set us free._

"No. No. Stop! Stop!"

 _Hear and heed my call, my love, your hand is mine to hold; hear and heed my call, my love, I've secrets to unfold._

"Stop it! Get out! Leave me alone!"

 _You are mine, you are my own; your life belongs to me. You are mine, you are my own; my champion to be._

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

I screamed and felt the anger burst out of me. I stopped thrashing and hung my head down. I panted with exhaustion.

"Mahaila. Are you okay?"

I looked up and my blurred vision cleared up to show the image of him holding my left arm steady.

"I-I…" I tried say I was okay. But my focus turned to a misty red orb floating before us. When I looked at it, I could feel the anger inside it splash against me like waves crashing against the seawall.

Just then, everyone around me, Ifan, Sebille and the Red Prince, all fell to their knees too. Their experience didn't seem to be as violent as mine. But that didn't bring me any comfort seeing them tremble like they did. Moments later, three more misty red orbs emerged from their chests. The one from the Red Prince floated to the one that came out of me and merged with it, becoming larger. The other two from Sebille and Ifan simply floated in the air next to the large one. The large one suddenly grew two misty tendrils that reached out and grabbed the remaining orbs. The orbs were pulled to the center and were consumed by the larger one. The remaining orb then morphed and expanded. It formed into the ghostly red shape of a female lizard. A female lizard with a pair of narrow, onyx eyes.

"My mistake," Zorl-stissa said with massive disappointment. "I saved you. I guided you. I blessed you. I built you into what you are. I made you. I asked much of you, but I gave you everything you needed to reach your goal. And yet you failed me."

I came to my knees along with the others behind me.

"Now I must do that job for which you were made. Now I must wield what's left of my power, and become the one god, savior of the kin and lord of Rivellon. Give me your body and soul. There can be only one now."

She held up her hand towards me, as if giving a slave a command.

"Give yourself to me."

I looked into her onyx eyes. They were the same onyx eyes she had when I first spoke to her in the Hall of Echoes. Only this time, I could finally see what lay behind them. A selfish being who let our world fall to the Voidwoken so she could be the one god when all the others had died. All this time she used me like the Shadow Prince used Sebille. Now, here she was ordering me to give myself to her. The anger in me started to swell again. I drew my wand.

"GO TO HELL!"

Everyone else drew their weapons. The Red Prince and Sebille charged Zorl-stissa. But with a loud stomp of her foot, they were launched off their feet. The Red Prince slammed into a pillar on the right while Sebille slammed into one on the left. Ifan brought up his bow and I pulled my head back. I launched a fireball from my mouth and he launched an explosive arrow from his bow. But with a wave of her hand, a shield of Source emerged, blocking the two projectiles. When the dust cleared, the shield dissipated into a cluster of Source in her hand. The ball shot from her hand and landed square into Ifan's chest, launching him back. I twirled around to see Ifan roll across the ground towards the edge of the arena.

"NOOOO!" I screamed seeing Ifan fall over the edge into the chasm. But I couldn't run after him. In a flash of energy, I was frozen. I fell to my knees and faced Zorl-stissa's ghostly form. She walked closer and looked down at me, her eyes full of disappointment.

"You never learn your lesson, do you?" the goddess said. "I gave you life."

She held up her hand directly at my chest.

"And now I take it away."

A red beam emerged from her hand and entered me. I panted erratically as the energy pouring into my heart. It creeped through my blood vessels, slowly taking over every limb in my body. I tried to move, but my limbs were no longer under my control. The energy soon creeped up my spine to the top of my neck.

My eyes were squeezed shut. As the energy creeped into my brain, I felt a rush of memories burn into my head. Memories spanning over the millennia. Memories of a goddess. Memories I couldn't begin to comprehend. All of those memories started to overtake my own. I felt myself start to fade. My existence. It was going to end. I could do nothing. She had absolute control over me.

But then it stopped.

I opened my eyes and gasped. I felt a small splinter of control return to my mind and body. When I looked at Zorl-stissa, she was stumbling back with an arrow in the side of her chest. I would have been so hopeful and relieved to turn my head to see Ifan hadn't fallen into the chasm. But I didn't do that.

Instead, my mind was focused on the last memory I could comprehend before the goddess was interrupted. It was only a small shred of the memories that were forced into me. But it was one memory that triggered something within me. The elements in my heart pulsed. The hold Zorl-stissa had on my heart was broken. The beam shattered and the ghostly lizard gasped in surprise. I felt my body return under my control. Not only that, I felt the elements in my heart surge through every facet of my body.

I got to my feet. The goddess looked at me in disbelief. I felt the elements manifest in three corners of my body. The fire emanated from my mouth. Lightning in my left hand. Ice in my right. Behind all of that, I felt a burning emotion fueling everything. It was more than anger. It was more than rage. It was… Fury.

I felt a loud roar boom from my throat, echoing throughout the chamber. Zorl-stissa stumbled backwards. She looked…afraid. She hastily pulled her arm back and summoned a fireball. Before it left her hand, my wings unfurled, and I leapt into the air. I hovered seeing the goddess looking at me again in bewilderment. She franticly sent balls of fire and lightning at me. But I dodged all of them with swift rolls left and right. She started getting desperate. When she summoned large attacks from the sky I couldn't dodge, I used the power in my left hand to encase an Armor of Frost over myself to take the brunt of the damage while my body was unharmed.

I unleashed balls of fire, bolts of lightning and shards of ice. All of them slammed into the ghostly lizard causing her to stumble in pain. She franticly fought back, but it was futile. I continued my barrage, tearing down her defenses. Soon, she was vulnerable. It was my chance. I dove straight at her. My body slammed into her, forcing her to the ground. I had her pinned under me.

A glowing orb emanated in the middle of her chest. It was her heart. I pulled my hand back and drove it straight into her chest. She screamed in painful fear as I opened my fingers within her semisolid form. I closed my fingers around her heart. I felt the powerful Source emanating under my palm. She looked up at me, her onyx eyes radiating with fear.

"Please…"

Her words seemed to echo in me.

She deceived me. She deceived every lizard. Every god deceived everyone. For millennia, it happened. But I knew the truth. The truth about her and all the other gods. Now she was begging for mercy?

 _No._

"YOUR REIGN IS OVER!"

I closed my fingers and crushed her heart. She let out an unearthly scream. A scream that no person, be it lizard, human, elf or dwarf was ever capable of making. I felt the Source drain out of her into me. Her body slowly faded away, all of it being absorbed into my fist. Her scream faded with her, only to echo in the chamber before disappearing into silence.

Zorl-stissa, the Goddess of the Lizards, was dead. And I slew her.

I felt the elements in my throat and hands recede. They flowed through my body back to my heart where they once again found their equilibrium. The fury that propelled me faded away. I exhaled.

"Mahalia."

I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders. I turned my head to see who it was. My heart skipped a beat.

"Ifan!"

I wrapped my arms around him. The image of him falling over the edge played in my head. I pulled him tighter, squishing his chest against mine and burying his face into my neck.

"Oh Ifan," I said digging my chin hard into the top of his head. "I thought you were gone! Oh gods, I thought you were dead!"

"I know. It's okay," he said. I felt him wrap his arms around me. "I'm here. I'm here."

His warm embrace caused me to ease my grip. I was about to cry. But a rumble brought my attention back to reality. I looked around to see the walls and floor of the arena start to crack. The both of us scampered to our feet. It was then I noticed Sebille and the Red Prince had regained consciousness and ran toward us.

"We got to get out of here!" the Red Prince exclaimed.

"But where do we go?" Sebille asked.

We still didn't find anywhere we could go in the arena. We were backed into a corner with no way out. But then I heard a buzzing feeling in my head. The buzzing slowly formed into words. Words that were spoken by a familiar voice.

 _Hang in there! I'm bringing the ship in!_

It was Malady. Somehow, she was communicating to me. Above the chasm, a shining green light emerged. Seconds later, we saw a massive object appear out of it. It was the Lady Vengeance. The Lady Vengeance hovered above us over the chasm.

"How the hell did Malady get here with that?" the Red Prince exclaimed.

"Who cares? Just be thankful she brought it," Sebille said.

The Lady Vengeance descended to our level. It swung around to starboard, bringing the aft section towards us. At the wheel was Malady.

"GET ON!" she shouted.

When it was close enough, all four of us ran to the edge and hopped over the railing onto the livewood.

"GO!" Ifan shouted when we were all aboard.

"HOLD ON!" Malady shouted.

I felt the ship rattle as it turned around to face the portal. I grabbed the railing and pulled myself up. The ship slowly ascended towards the portal. The cavern continued to collapse all around us. We didn't have a lot of time left.

"HEY! HEY OVER HERE! HELP!"

A voice shouted from behind the ship. I looked down at the remains of the arena. I gasped.

It was Del. He was alive. He found his way into the arena somehow. Now he was standing at the edge waving his arms and shouting for help.

"STOP THE BOAT!" I pointed to Del. "WE NEED TO GET BACK DOWN THERE!"

Malady looked back at Del.

"THERE'S NO TIME!" Malady shouted shaking her head. "THE ISLAND'S GOING TO BLOW! WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW!"

I looked back at Del waving desperately as pieces of the ceiling continued to fall all around him. He was going to die if we didn't help him. But time was running out. If we didn't get through the portal, we were all dead.

Then my mind sparked. I looked down at my pyramid. It was a bad idea. But it was the only idea I had.

"KEEP GOING! I'LL BE BACK!"

Before anyone could say anything, I ran to the back of the ship and jumped off the railing. I unfurled my wings flew across the chasm as fast as I could. I closed in on Del. But before I could reach him, the rock under the ground he stood on gave way. The floor slanted under him and he slid off the edge into the chasm.

"SHIT!"

I folded my wings and dove right after him. The lava at the bottom grew larger and hotter as both of us fell. For seconds that felt like minutes, I gradually closed the distance.

"Gotcha!"

I wrapped my left arm around Del's body as I put my right hand on my pyramid. We tumbled closer to the lava as it grew hotter and hotter. I closed my eyes and put every ounce of my mental focus on the Red Pyramid. Moments later, I felt the heat of the lava and the rest of world vanish.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Whew. Chapter 49: done.

Chapter 50 is in the works and I'm going to make it the best it can possibly be.

Also, just a heads up, the rating will be going up from T to M next chapter. So, if you're a guest and don't have an account to be notified, just change the search filters to include M-rated stories the next time you visit.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	50. Chapter 50

**Preface:** This chapter contains lemons. If you don't have any interest in that sort of thing, feel free to skip to the Author's Note after the second page break. For those who don't have a problem with that sort of thing, I hope you enjoy it. Thank you again for reading my story.

Chapter 50

My body slammed against the ground while another body slammed on top of me. I gasped and opened my eyes. Del was on top of me. He panted wildly before he rolled off over my wing. I leaned my aching body up and my wings retracted into my back. I looked up to see a familiar dark green sky. The Lady Vengeance had jumped back into the Hall of Echoes. For the briefest moment, I had a terrible feeling that I failed, and I died trying to save Del. But when I looked to the side, I found Sebille standing above me with the red pyramid in her hands.

"That…was a gutsy move," she said.

To her left stood the Red Prince.

"I concur," he said.

He offered his hand to me. I took it and he pulled me to my feet.

"Mahalia!"

I turned around to see Ifan run over and wrap his arms around me.

"Ifan."

I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around him too. He nestled his face into my neck and I rested my chin on the top of his head. The warmth of his body only confirmed I made it back alive. I could feel my eyes start to wet.

"Ifan I…" I mumbled. "I-I didn't… didn't know what I-I was thin-"

"It's okay, it's okay," Ifan said. "You made it. That's…that's all that matters."

I could feel him tearing up with me. Nothing mattered in that moment. I was just happy that I made it back and he was still here with me.

"Mahalia!"

I was taken out of my trance when I heard the children. I broke out of Ifan's embrace and kneeled to the children. I opened my arms and all three of them came in for a large hug. I exhaled in relief.

"We were so worried about you, Mahalia," Trice said. "When the volcano erupted, we thought you might have-"

"I know. It's okay. I'm okay."

I held the children for a while longer before I stood up again. It was then two people walked over to our little gathering on the deck. It was Mihaly and Almira.

"Del?" Mihaly said.

Del had caught his breath and got to his feet, equally surprised seeing a fellow Magister here.

"Mihaly? What are you doing here?"

He looked over at Almira.

"It's a long story," he said.

"Heh. Mine is too," Del said. He then looked over at me.

"Were you the only one left?" I asked him. Del looked grimly to his left.

"I was separated from my colleagues when the island started to erupt. I doubt anyone made it out."

He moved his eyes back to me.

"But I was lucky to make my way through the rubble and find you when I did. What you did back there; that was…incredible.

He put his hand on my shoulder with a grateful smile.

"Thank you for saving me again."

I smiled.

"You're welcome."

Just then, I heard a cough and snort from behind me. We turned around to see Malady spit out another glob of Source onto the deck. Next to her was Gareth. Now with her throat clear, Malady sighed and composed herself.

"Okay. Now that we've finished our respective rescue missions, I feel it's best to go over what just happened."

The relief of getting out of the exploding island and rescuing Del once again suddenly faded away. The memory of Dallis beating us to the Wellspring stung me. I took a deep breath and sighed before I started the long-winded story of what happened: starting with our reunion with Alexander all the way to our escape from the island. The children seemed to like the part where I talked about killing the Shadow Prince, with me leaving out the part where I carved his heart out of course. But they seemed rather confused when I talked about the part when Sebille killed the Mother tree and when I killed Zorl-stissa. But Malady was rather enraptured when I talked about killing the last god. By the end of the story, instead of feeling the rage I had when Dallis bested us, I felt… melancholy. Like the Hall of Echoes itself.

"So…what do we do?" I asked. "How can there be a new Divine now that the Wellspring is gone?"

"Not gone," Malady said. "Stolen. Dallis took the Source from the Wellspring. Which means we can still take it back."

"But where did she go?" the Red Prince asked.

Malady suddenly became lightheaded and stumbled. She propped herself up on a nearby barrel.

"I'll tell you when something pops up," she said. "Right now, I need to rest. I suggest you all do the same. I have a feeling this may be your last bit of respite before the storm blows again. Enjoy it. You all deserve that much."

* * *

Everyone retreated to the mess hall to eat. But I wasn't hungry. I put my belongings away and attended to my hygienic needs before I retreated to the bow of the Lady Vengeance. When I came to the figurehead, she turned to face me.

"I am sorry, Mahalia," she said. "Dallis had me built to her exact designs. Not even I knew all the ways in which she could control me. She was able to follow my wake like a shark. But I will see myself destroyed rather than be forced to betray you again, I swear."

"Well, I hope it will never come to that," I told her. "I forgive you. You've been through enough already and putting more blame on yourself won't solve anything."

Her head turned slightly, likely taking in what I said to her. She then spoke to me with gratitude in her ethereal voice.

"Though I still dream I could be my ancestral self again, it gives me some reprieve to be under the leadership of a benevolent soul such as yourself. It has been an honor to aid you on your journey to help the world."

She resumed her position and continued her course. It took me a moment to contemplate what she told me. Eventually, I leaned against the railing next to the headpiece. I looked out to the ghostly cavern as the ship sailed through the misty stream. I listened to the distant sounds of the hall and the creaking of the ship's hull. All the while, my thoughts swam elsewhere. They swam for what felt like hours until I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Do you mind having some company?"

I already knew who it was.

"Not really," I said.

Ifan walked up next to me and leaned on the railing to stare at the same nothingness I did. We stared in silence for a while until I broke it.

"Did the Swornbreaker work for Almira?"

"Like a dream," Ifan said. "She's free and it can be used again for Sadha when Prince Charming finds her."

"That's good," I said.

Another silence followed until Ifan broke it.

"Are you doing okay?"

Was I? I leaned up from the railing, keeping my hands on it while I still stared at the abyss.

"I…honestly don't know," I sighed. "We were so close. I was only five steps away. If I was faster, I could've…"

I tightened my grip on the railing. I couldn't finish my sentence. I felt Ifan put his hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay," he said. "Once we find Dallis, we'll go after her and get back what she stole."

"I know, I know… It's just…"

I took a deep breath and relaxed my grip.

"Right now, I feel like I'm feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders for the first time."

Ifan took his hand off my shoulder to let me speak.

"Ever since we escaped Fort Joy, I feel like my mind has been on an automatic path. Like, I never truly felt the stakes of our quest until now. Was that because we had a shred of the gods in us to propel us to get to the Well?"

"I don't think so," Ifan said. "I mean, right now I feel what you're feeling. Just a week ago we were only a couple of prisoners on a ship on its way to Fort Joy. Now, here we are on a ship on a quest to save the world. After everything we've been through, it feels weird when we look back at the crazy things we've done so far."

Ifan looked away for a moment when something sparked in his head.

"Speaking of which, I have to say I never seen you fight the way you did against Zorl-stissa. What happened there?"

I remembered that feeling when I seemed to go berserk against Zorl-stissa. I held up my amulet, tracing my finger over the violet gem.

"I guess that was the other ability Sebille talked about when I put the last piece in," I said.

"You mean like how the Red one gives you fauna tongue and the Blue one gave you your wings?" Ifan said.

"Yeah," I said. "When I was under so much stress, the elements in my heart seemed to overload. It was like I felt the fury of a dragon in me. That's what propelled me to overpower and defeat Zorl-stissa."

Ifan looked away to contemplate for a moment.

"Well, this 'Dragon Fury' could be handy if we need to get out of another sticky situation."

"Maybe."

Then, I remembered the moment just before I felt the "Dragon Fury" kick in.

"But it's what triggered it that bothers me."

Ifan tilted his head.

"What do you mean?"

I propped my arms on the railing.

"When Zorl-stissa tried to take me over, I saw a glimpse of her memories. Most of them, I couldn't make sense. But there was one memory that stuck with me after you put your arrow into her."

"And what was that?"

"You remember what that voidwoken said about the gods being usurpers?"

"Of course."

"Well, it turns out he was right."

I closed my eyes as the horrific memory played in my head.

"The reason the gods created our world, the reason we exist…"

I opened my eyes and looked down at Ifan.

"It was to have them feed on our Source."

Ifan's eyes widened. He looked around him, contemplating what I said.

"You mean…?"

"We worship them, and they consume our souls when we die. Like fattening pigs before the slaughter."

I looked down at my hand.

"That's why they gave us the ability to consume people's souls. They created our world so they can grow Source to feed their hunger for it."

The mental exhaustion caused me to sigh.

"To think we've worshiped them. Looked to them for guidance. Prayed they look over our loved ones. And what did we get in return? They ate us."

"Well, I'm not sad to see them gone," Ifan said.

"Neither am I."

A haunted feeling washed over me.

"But is that what I'm going to have to do when I become the next Divine? Do I need to start feeding off the souls of my worshipers to keep myself alive and fully able to fight off the voidwoken?"

I looked down at my amulet.

"So much for protecting people from the cruelty of those who wish to harm them."

"Don't say that," Ifan took my hand. "I know you will never do that."

"But what if I have to?" I shot back. "What if I need more Source than what the corpses of voidwoken and demons can provide me?"

"Then we'll find another way to give you the power you need," Ifan replied sharply. "Or hell, we'll find another way to fight them entirely without a Divine."

When I looked into his green eyes, I could see the hopefulness he had behind his words. A large departure from the dim expression he wore after he learned the truth about the deathfog.

"You're…rather optimistic about this aren't you?" I said.

"That's because you gave me that optimism," Ifan said.

I felt my face morph into a befuddled expression. He placed his other hand on top of mine, sandwiching it between his hands.

"When I learned the truth about the deathfog, I didn't think I could bring myself out of the darkness I found myself in. I thought it was over for whatever dignity I had left. And when you're a contract killer, you barely have any dignity at all. But even after that, you still believed in me. You believed in me so much that you risked your own life to keep me from giving in to revenge."

He reached up and grazed my cheek gently with his fingers.

"What I'm trying to say is, you helped me rediscover something about myself. You can't imagine how grateful I am for that. Now, I feel more confident about myself. More than I ever have been in a very long time. That's why I believe we can overcome this and make a real change for the better."

I found myself at a loss of words. When I stared into his eyes, accompanied by a glowing smile on is face, I felt something inside of me. Something that lifted the doubts that weighed me down only moments ago. Soon, I felt my entire body flooded with relief that I smiled. Ifan noticed it and gave me his usual clap on the shoulder. We both chuckled.

"Thank you," I said.

"You're very welcome," Ifan said.

We looked at each other for some time in silence. Then I remembered something.

"Actually," I said. "I feel you gave me that optimism first."

Ifan raised his brows.

"I did? When?"

"When you helped me overcome my- shall we say -scale guilt. Also, when you comforted me when I broke down in Ryker's basement. Actually, I think all of it started when you adjusted my collar when we first met."

Now it was Ifan's turn to look befuddled. His cheeks started to blush.

"I…guess I did."

He took both of my hands into his.

"But even so, you've helped me through some very hard times. Whenever I'm around you, I feel…reprieved from the hardships of the world. You can't imagine how much appreciate that."

"I can say the same about you. Whenever you're around, I feel I have the strength to keep going, no matter how bleak things may be. I couldn't have gotten this far without your help."

We stared into each other's eyes for some time. I felt like I was hypnotized by his gaze. I slowly reached out and placed my hands on his cheeks, my thumbs grazing the edge of his mustache. I leaned my head down closer to him.

"I'm so happy to have met you, Ifan," I said.

He placed his hands on my cheeks, tilting his head up closer to me.

"As am I, Mahalia."

We pulled each other closer and our lips met again. When I remembered our first kiss, it felt amazing. But this one. It felt even better. I felt his lips part against mine. His wider and stout tongue mingled with my longer and slender one. He tasted of dark earth and night. Our lips grazed each other, our tongues danced together, and our hands glided over each other's bodies for a long time.

Eventually, we broke our second kiss and looked into each other's eyes. Through his dark green eyes, I could see everything. His affection, his hope, and most of all, a craving for me. He no doubt saw it in my eyes too. I felt my heart pound faster in my chest. We wanted – no - needed each other. I needed him. He needed me. More than ever.

I walked away from the bow of the ship with Ifan's hand in mine. We crossed the deck and closed the distance to the stairs. When we descended the steps, I heard something…different. The livewood around us creaked and groaned. When we reached the bottom of the steps, we found ourselves before a newly carved nook that smelled of resin and wood chips. It was never here before.

"You've done me a great help," the voice of the Lady Vengeance whispered to me. "Allow me to show you my gratitude."

The engraved wall before us sifted to show an indent in the shape of a handprint in the middle. The handprint of a lizard. I reached out and placed my hand onto the indent. It fit perfectly. I felt the wood hum under my palm. I moved my hand away as the carved wood illuminated and softly faded away. Through the opened wall was a room. A room I never knew about. I looked back at Ifan. He nodded to me. I stepped through the opening still holding dearly onto his hand. When we were through, the wall faded back into existence. As it did, I could feel the presence of the ship recede. The creaking of the hull, the still air of the Hall of Echoes, even the voices of the other passengers, all of it was gone. It was only me and Ifan in this secluded haven the Lady Vengeance had given us.

The room had a similar feel to the States Room, with carpets on the floor and paintings on the walls. But there were no bookshelves, no chemistry stations, no necromancers with the reanimated skeletons of their pets running around. Instead, within the soft, dim light of four tall candle sticks, a large bed stood. A bed that looked to be as comfortable if not more so than the one in the States Room.

It was perfect.

* * *

Both Ifan and I stood by the side of the bed. Everything was quiet. The flickering light of the candles beat softly across his whiskered face. He moved closer to me. He gently reached up to caress my cheek.

But I hesitated.

"You okay?" he asked.

I exhaled nervously.

"Yeah, I…" I took a gentle breath. "Sorry."

I looked down into his eyes again with a weak smile.

"First time, you know?"

Ifan grinned softly and nodded. He understood.

"There's no rush," he said. "Just tell me what you want."

He stood at attention, like a valiant soldier ready for his orders. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath. When I opened my eyes again, Ifan was still there, ready to do whatever I wanted. I moved closer to him, our bodies only inches apart. I reached down and took his hands into my own. Slowly, I brought his arms around my waist and placed his hands at the base of my tail. I placed my hands over his shoulders, holding them together behind him. He leaned into me. His whiskered cheek brushed against my neck while my chin rested on the top of his head. I felt his soft breath brush against my exposed scales. I took the first step, swaying gently left and right. Eventually, Ifan took the lead, turning our bodies in a slow circle. As we found our rhythm, all the worries I had faded away. There were no voidwoken. There was no God King. There were no gods, Source or Divine Order. It was only me and him, dancing gently and slowly in a quiet room. We were the only thing that mattered.

I felt my affection come back. It beckoned me to continue and to do more. I stopped the dance. I loosened my hold, letting Ifan pull back and look up at me. I gently placed my hands on his chest. I leaned in and kissed him. He brought his hands up from my waist to the back of my ribcage. He pulled me close to him, gently rubbing his soft thumbs against my scales. My breathing became uneven from his touch. He sensed it through our lips. He broke our kiss to look into my eyes. I could see and feel how much he wanted me now. But he kept himself reserved, allowing me to go at the pace I wanted. He moved his hands up my back to the restraints of my chest piece. He looked into my eyes, voicelessly asking me if I was ready. I nodded.

He undid the restraints, one on the left and one on the right. The straps hung free, loosening my chest piece. I lowered myself to my knees, giving Ifan enough room to hoist it off my shoulders. I folded my frill and tucked my head. My chest and shoulders were now bare. Only my amulet remained of my upper attire. When Ifan put the chest piece aside, I walked over to the bed and sat on it. I presented Ifan my shin guards. He kneeled and gently undid the restraint at the heel of my foot and the one at the mid-joint of my leg. When it was removed, he took a moment to gently massage my foot. The feeling of his strong hands rubbing my joints earned a moan of approval from me along with a gentle brush of my toe across his bearded chin. He repeated the process with my other leg.

With both guards off, I stood up again. All that was left was my loincloth. I remembered my time at the lake when I wore nothing but this in front of Ifan at the time. But I never let him this close. He walked up to me, holding me close to his warm chest. He kept his gaze on my eyes as his hands moved to the base of my tail again. With gentle precision, he undid the last restraint. I felt the straps glide over my hips and fall away onto the floor.

It was done. All my apparel, save for my amulet, was shed from my body. My bare scales were left to be seen by the only other soul in the room: him. With his task complete, Ifan looked down at my body. I could feel his gaze caress my scales, traveling from the base of my neck down the platted grooves of my breast and belly. I felt it roll around my angular hips to my thighs and the full length of my slender legs. All the while my long tail swung gently behind me.

I should have felt embarrassed. But I wasn't. I wanted him to see me. I wanted to expose myself to him. In my heart, I felt an energy. A raw, sexual energy that had built up inside of me during all my years of preserving my virginity for Brell. But that was no longer the path I was going to take. My path was here. I wanted to give myself to Ifan and I wanted him to give himself to me.

When he finished his evaluation of my reptilian form, I placed my hands on his shoulders. I peered deep into his eyes. From how he looked back at me, I felt I had hypnotized him with my gaze. He stayed put as I moved my body around him. With his help, I removed his belt, gauntlets, tunic, boots and vest with ease. All that remained now was his undershirt and his trousers. We were close now. I decided now was the time to slow down.

I kneeled in front of him, putting my hands under his shirt. I placed my palms flat on his belly. I took a moment to feel the muscles that lay underneath his clothing. I slide my hands up, feeling the soft skin and the traces of chest hair glide under my scales. When I reached the top, Ifan raised his arms, allowing me to pull his shirt off and discard it to the floor. Without a pause, I loosened the laces of his trousers and I slowly slide my fingers down the sides of his strong legs.

It was finished.

Nothing separated us each other now. As we stood completely naked before each other, it was my turn to take in his form. Like before, I remembered seeing him without his shirt at the lake. But now, having the time to observe the shape of his body, from thick the muscles of his chest and arms to the curves of his hips, I began to feel a desire to have my scales brush up against his skin while his warmth enraptured me.

In that moment, knew what to do first. I closed the distance between us. I pressed my scaled belly against his abdomen, feeling the muscles underneath his warm flesh. He looked up into my eyes while he held me by my back ribs. I leaned down and snaked my head across his cheek until my lips reached his ear. I whispered.

"Close your eyes."

He obeyed me. I was in full control now.

I maneuvered around him, brushing my scales across his body the entire way. I pressed my slender body fully into his back. My arms wrapped around his chest while my tail coiled around his torso. He turned his head around, still with his eyes closed, and brought his lips to me. For several long minutes, we kept our lips locked while I slowly ran my hands across his bare chest and arms, from the highest peaks to the lowest reaches. I felt him softly groan in ecstasy through my lips from every move I made.

As my hands continued to memorize the topography of his body, my fingers traced several scars that blemished his skin. I imagined some of them left more than physical damage on him. But my presence eased the pain he still carried in him. After a while longer, I broke our kiss to move my lips to the side of his neck. I dipped my tongue across his warm skin, tasting more of the dark earth and night. He groaned in approval. Slowly, I ran my lips across the back of his neck to his shoulder, planting a series of kisses and licks across his body. I maneuvered around his left arm until I found myself kneeling before him and kissing his bare chest. As I began my journey downward, I felt his heart race faster. When I reached the destination between his legs, I placed my hands behind his thighs and began using my tongue in ways I never imagined I would. Ifan pulled his head back, panting and groaning almost uncontrollably. He placed his hands on the back of my head, encouraging me to continue. I had him exactly where I wanted him.

His groans became more erratic. His end was coming. It was time I stopped before that happened. I pulled my tongue away just in time. Ifan gasped for breath, doing his best to calm himself. He would need his energy for the many trails I had for him. While he recovered, I let go of his legs and stood up. When he claimed himself, he opened his eyes to look at me again. I grinned in a seductive manor and turned around. I kept my gaze behind me as I strolled toward the bed, my tail swinging behind my swaying hips. I pulled back the sheets and sat down. I slowly laid on my side, stretching my long slender body out over the mattress. I propped my body up with my arm and had my tail laid over my thigh. For a while, Ifan's gaze drifted over my alluring body that glowed in the dim candlelight.

Once his eyes met mine, I pointed to the spot on the bed next me. He obeyed my command. He walked to the other side of the bed and pulled back the sheets on that side. I lifted my legs, allowing him to crawl next to me. He sat up with my waist resting in his lap. As I coiled my tail around his torso, he stroked his hand down the length of my thigh while his other hand held my hip from underneath. For long moments, I closed my eyes and took in his touch. We had time. There was no rush.

After several pleasurable minutes, I felt his hand stop caressing my scales. I opened my eyes to see Ifan looking directly at me. From the look in his eyes, he wanted to move forward. So did I. I brought up my finger and beckoned him to come to me. He leaned in, allowing me to cup my hand around his head and bring him closer. I brought my lips to his ear and whispered.

"Take me."

Once again, he obeyed me. He pressed his lips hard against mine. In all the other kissed, I could feel he held back for me to get comfortable. Now that I was, all his desire and craving for me was brought out in full force. I was ready to endure it. His lips devoured me, his tongue overpowering mine. Eventually, I felt him roll over my thigh and lay his body flat over my own, our lips still connected. He broke our kiss and ran his lips across my cheek and down my long, slender neck. I hissed with approval as he continued his journey to my breast. He took his time there and my belly afterward. When he moved on, I felt him go up the length of my thigh. When he reached my knee, he backtracked all the way to my waist. He maneuvered his arms under my thighs, placing his hands where my thighs met my hips. He held a firm grip there as his lips moved to the spot between _my_ legs.

I arched my back and propped my body up with my elbows. Slowly but surely, he built up a rhythm with his lips and tongue. He built it up until I tightened my tail around his chest, telling him he found the perfect rhythm. He kept going, sending bolts of ecstasy coursing through my body. It enraptured me. I moaned and gasped, louder and louder until…

"AAAAAAHHH!"

I threw my head back and wailed as my body froze. For five seconds that felt like ages, I was hurtled into another realm. A realm I never wanted to leave. But when I did, I gasped and panted hard. My entire body, even my tail, went limp and sank into the bed. In the haze of my exhaustion, I felt Ifan crawl up to my side. He nestled his warm chest into the side of my body, putting his chin on my shoulder and placing his hand gently between my belly and breast. There, he patiently waited for me to recover.

For several long minutes, I took long breaths. I felt my body slowly recover the energy Ifan exuded out of me. At first, I feared I wouldn't recover the energy I wanted to continue. But after some time, I felt something grow within me. I felt my body suddenly become reinvigorated. Like a phoenix that burned the last of its life away, I felt the ashes in me form together to be reborn into something greater. Something stronger. Something more powerful. When I looked down at Ifan resting his head on my shoulder, my body coursed with even more sexual desire than before.

I caressed my hand over his cheek. He opened his eyes. He placed his hand on top of my own as he looked lovingly into my eyes. As he did, I could see the reflection of my face in his pupils. I saw my eyes sapphire eyes burning with that desire that was reborn. Before, we took our turns with each other. But now, it was time we took the stage together.

"Intermission's over," I whispered. "Time for the final act."

Ifan cocked his brow. His smile showing the anticipation he had for me. I gently put my hand on his shoulder, rolling him onto his back. I swung my legs over his torso and leaned forward. I place my hands on his shoulders and flattened my body against his. I tucked my neck in, allowing me to lock my lips with his once more. As our tongues danced together, I felt his strong arms dig into my back ribs pulling me closer to him. All the while, my tail swung back and forth in the air behind me. We kept ourselves locked together until the desire in the both of us demand we move to the most important step. I broke our kiss and sat myself up. With no hesitation, I moved my hips over the spot between his legs. My body shuttered with anticipation. But even that could not prepare me when I lowered myself and let him inside of me.

The both of us threw our heads back and moaned so loud, everyone on the Lady Vengeance would have heard us had we not been in our sanctuary. I gasped in a wad of air to recover. When I looked down at Ifan, he had recovered too. I leaned forward, placing my hands on his pecks and started slowly rolling my hips up and down. Every movement sent shocks of ecstasy coursing through my whole body. When I looked at him, I knew he felt the same. I felt his hands reach up and dig into my rear, keeping in tempo with my movements. All the while, my tail swing erratically in the air behind me.

We continued our pleasurable routine until, with all his strength, Ifan pulled my body down and soon after rolled me onto my back. He lay on top of me and groaned deeply. He planted his arms into the mattress and thrust his hips hard into me. I placed my hands on the back of his neck and head. I warped my tail around his left leg tightly. He groaned louder and louder as he continued his thrusts. Harder and harder. Faster and faster. Again, and again, and again.

I opened my eyes for only the shortest of moments. But it was a moment I would remember for all my existence. A lizard woman and a human man entwined in the dim candlelight of a sanctuary for lovers to embrace their purest feelings.

And in a moment that felt like an eternity, I closed my eyes and felt my entire soul transcend all of reality.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Been waiting a long time to write this part. Please, tell me… did I do a good job with it? I really want to know.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

My return to the realm of consciousness was a pleasant one. That pleasure came from the warmth of my lover laying in my arms. Ifan laid on his back while I nestled next to him. My arm snaked under his neck while my other hand laid on his bare chest. My leg stretched over his groan while my chin rested above his head on the pillow. Meanwhile, his hand wrapped around my waist and rested on my hip. My tail curled up from between my legs where it curved under his thigh and rested on his belly. Lastly, his left hand rested atop mine that lay on his chest.

I sighed in gentle glee. The comfort of the bed and the way our two uniquely different bodies shaped into each other. It was perfect. Pure tranquility. I wanted this moment to last for as long as it could. I felt my mind slipped back to sleep for the briefest moment. When it returned, I felt Ifan stir in my arms. I cracked my eyes open feeling the grogginess of sleep still clinging to me. I looked down the side of my head to see Ifan groan and slowly blink his eyes open. I carefully folded my neck back, moving my head to the pillow just above his shoulder. When he was awake, or awake enough, he turned his head up to look up at me with his green eyes that glowed in the dim candlelight. He gave me a warm and sleepy grin.

"Good morning, gorgeous," he said. I replied with a sleepy grin of my own.

"Good morning, handsome," I said. I leaned my neck in and gave him a tender kiss. As our lips caressed each other, the tip of my tail slid lazily over his toned belly. My thumb rubbed gently across his chest while his thumb rubbed on the back of my hand. When the kiss was over, Ifan looked lovingly into my eyes.

"That was…incredible," he said. "You were incredible."

"Really?" I asked. "Even though it was my first time?"

"Absolutely," Ifan said. The look he gave me ensured his sincerity.

"Well, thank you," I said. "You were incredible too."

Ifan smiled.

"Thank you," he said.

I leaned closer and nuzzled my snout into the bridge of his nose. As we did, a realization came over me. I was a virgin no more. The feeling was… confusing. For one, I felt like another part of my old, innocent self was now gone. But at the same time, it felt liberating. I had made love to the man I wanted to be with. It didn't matter that he was a human. He was more than my partner or even my friend. He was my lover and I was happy to be with him.

For what felt like hours, we stayed in our tranquil state of warmth and peace in our little sanctuary. But alas, all good things had to come to an end. I reluctantly let Ifan out of my arms so he could sit up and stretch. But I didn't mind because I could see more of his naked form. When he looked over at me, I gave him a teasing grin before I stretched my own body out for him to take a gander.

"Might as well get ready," Ifan sighed.

"We could," I snaked my head onto his shoulder. He turned his head to look at my smiling face. "But I think we can take a few extra minutes of preparation."

I moved my gaze to the corner of the room. Ifan turned his head and saw what I saw. A bathtub with warm water already in it. The Lady Vengeance was being overly generous for us. I truly wished I could do more for her.

"Does the wolf desire a bath?" I whispered into his ear. He brushed his whiskered lips against mine.

"Only if his fur is properly groomed," he replied.

I chuckled. With a final stretch, Ifan threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. I crawled over the mattress and followed him closely. When we arrived at the tub, he dipped his feet into the water, slowly adjusting the warmth until his whole body was submerged. He submerged his head under and remerged with his hair drenched. He then leaned his back against the side and rested his arms on the rim. He leaned his head back and sighed. With him all comfortable, I reached over to the soaps and got to work. I started with his arms and worked my way down. To my delight, I found a weak spot at his feet. I took my delightful time getting between his toes. But I was fair when I decided to give him a nice massage on his shoulders.

Then it was my turn. As he stepped out and dried himself with a nearby towel. I snaked my slender body into the tub. Once dry, Ifan got to work scrubbing my scales. Unfortunately for me, he found my weakness behind my knees. He got his payback and gave me my massage on my shoulders. Once I was finished, I got out and Ifan provided me with my own towel. I couldn't help but notice his eyes looking me over as I dried myself.

"Gosh you're beautiful," Ifan remarked.

I dropped the towel to the floor and smiled. I walked past him and grazed my hand across his cheek. I gathered up my clothes and Ifan did the same with his. With each other's help, we put our apparel back on. But even so, I still had the image of his bare body still fresh in my mind. I stood before the entrance. I put my hand on the wall and shortly after, it illuminated. The sounds of the ship returned as the wall faded away. I looked back at Ifan and offered my hand.

"Shall we?" I asked him. He graciously bowed and took my hand.

"After you, my lady," he kissed my hand. I couldn't help but blush from his gentleman-like behavior.

I stepped through the wall with Ifan close behind. We looked behind us to our little sanctuary disappeared behind the wall. I heard a gathering in the mess hall. Then, I smelled a mouth-watering scent of cooked eggs and meat. I heard my stomach rumble. Considering I didn't eat anything last night, I was going to have to make up for lost time. We walked into the mess hall together to find the remaining crew, minus Malady and Tarquin, gathered around the tables. Del and Mihaly along with Almira were at one table while Gareth was siting with the remaining lizard seeker at another. Meanwhile, the children and Han were at their table with their bowls of porridge and the Red Prince and Sebille were at the spot we always ate together at. When we entered, the children and our partners turned their attention to us.

"Where did you go, Mahalia?" Paulie said. "Last night, you and Ifan disappeared into a wall. What happened?"

Still holding my hand, Ifan looked up at me with a loving grin. We smiled at everyone. The Red Prince's eyes were wide, and his lips were puckered. Meanwhile, Sebille's mouth hung open with disbelief at first before it transformed into an enthusiastic smile. She nodded slowly and approvingly. I looked back at Paulie and the children.

"We've… spent some time together," I answered his question.

"Like what?" Paulie said. I found it amusing he was still oblivious.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sandy suddenly jumped in. "They kissed. They were kissing in that secret room because they love each other."

 _That's part of the full story._

"Is it true?" Trice asked. Her eyes were filled with enthusiasm. I felt she was going to burst at any moment. "Are you two in love?"

I looked back at Ifan. All he could do was smile and motion his eyes to the children.

"Yes," I said with a confident smile. "We are in love."

Trice squealed and all the boys cheered. They got off their seats and ran over to hug us. Ifan and I could do nothing but laugh with them.

* * *

Once we had our breakfast, we gathered our gear and got together on the main deck where Malady was waiting for us. She seemed to still be a bit groggy but in a better mood than the last time we saw her yesterday. I was in front of the pack, so Malady put her gaze on me. She looked me over and squinted.

"What's wrong with you? You seem… happy."

"She's in love," Trice blurted out.

Malady looked behind me for a moment at Trice.

"Well, well, well," she said. "And does the object of your affection feel the same about you?"

Ifan walked up next to me and took my hand.

"He most certainly does," he said with a wink.

"Well," a smirk drew across Malady's face. "Good for you, darling. We could all use a little good news about now, couldn't we."

She then composed herself, wiping the smirk off her face. I let go of Ifan's hand and all four of us stood at attention.

"While you were all resting, I found out where Dallis is heading," Malady said.

"Where?" I asked.

"Arx."

The name hung in the air between us. Arx. The city where it all started for me.

"You're certain?" the Red Prince asked.

"Quite," Malady replied. "The city is controlled by the Magisters, so you'll have you're work cut out for you. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly where she's going to in Arx nor do I know what she intends to do with the powers of the Seven. All I know is that she can't be allowed to have it for much longer. You'll have to keep you're heads on a swivel and have an ear to the ground once you're in the city."

Gareth then chimed in.

"That's quite a poetic irony. The powers of the Seven is being taken to the city of Arx right on Lucian's day."

I heard Ifan make a disgusted sound like he was about to throw up. From what I've heard of the holiday, I'd imagine he would be disgusted after what we learned about him.

"Does this mean you know where in Arx Dallis might be headed to?" I asked Gareth.

"Not really," he said. "Though perhaps an old acquaintance of mine might know something or two."

"And who's that?" Sebille asked.

"Lord Arhu. He's the keeper of Lucian's crypt within the Arx Cathedral. He's a man of many talents, not the least of which is…knowing. Arhu spots details that elude even the savviest of spies. If the Hammer has fallen in Arx, he'll have taken notice."

"Thanks for the lead Gareth," I said. "We'll go find him at the Cathedral once we arrive."

"You mean after we make a detour to the Lizard Consulate first, right?" the Red Prince said. He looked back at the assembled Swornbreaker holstered onto his back.

"Oh right," I said. "We'll make a detour for Sadha then we'll find Arhu at the Cathedral."

"Thank you," the Red Prince said. I nodded to him.

"Just don't take too long," Malady said. "I fear we don't have a lot of time left."

"Don't worry, we won't fail," I said with confidence.

"Hmm. That's the spirt," she said with a pleased grin. "Now how's about I bring us in so you can actually get to saving the world?"

"Whenever you're ready," I said.

Malady nodded and proceeded across the deck and to the wheel. The four of us and the children took our place at the bow of the ship. I held tightly onto the railing along with the others.

"Are you ready children?" I asked.

"We are thanks to you," Sandy said. "You'll beat Dallis and save the world. I know you will."

I smiled. I then thought to myself for a minute. I looked down at the children.

"You know," I said. "I don't think I had the time to properly thank you three."

"Thank us for what?" Paulie asked.

I kneeled and all three of them gathered around me.

"For believing in me," I said. "I wouldn't be the person I am now if you didn't think I was a good person or encouraged me to help people. I'm happy that I met you three."

I opened my arms up and the wide-eyed children came in for a great hug.

"For that, I'm going to keep my promise and make sure you three have a place to stay. Cross my heart, I will make sure you three are safe and have a loving family when this is over."

"Thank you, Mahalia," Trice said. The others said thank you in turn. All I could do was smile.

Moments later, a portal appeared before the Lady Vengeance. We were about to pass through. I stood up and all of us clasped the railing. Through the portal, I could see the docks of Arx. I knew it was the docks of Arx because of the walls and the grand cathedral in the distance. But a bad feeling entered my gut once the ship touched the portal. In a flash, the whole ship was hurtling through a whorl of energy at unimaginable speed. I clung to the railing while holding onto Trice tightly with my other hand. I looked over to see Paulie and Sandy were helped by Sebille and Ifan while the Red Prince held onto the railing with both hands. If anyone let go, I feared we would be thrown off the ship into the abyss. I looked back to see Malady struggling at the wheel. Something went wrong because I heard her scream:

"Brace! Brace! Brace!"

* * *

My vision was completely white, and my ears were ringing. Slowly, I felt the shape of my body return to me. I felt myself on my back with my hand still holding onto the railing.

 _Trice!_

I looked down with a start to see the girl tucked into my arm. She was trembling. I let go of the railing and sat up. I hoisted Trice onto her feet.

"Are you okay?"

She looked up at me with timid eyes.

"Are you hurt?" I asked.

"N-n-no," she stuttered still trembling. "I'm j-j-just-"

"It's okay, it's okay," I wrapped my arms around her. "Just breath."

I kept holding on to her as she breathed in and out. Soon, I felt her calm down. I looked into her eyes and nodded to confirm she was okay. I then looked over at Ifan and Sebille. They were okay and tending to the boys. The Red Prince was okay too.

It was then that I noticed the deck we stood on was slanted. When I looked back down the length of the deck, I was relieved but also horrified. The relief came from seeing all the Lady Vengeance's passengers, including Del, were okay. But the horror came from the Lady Vengeance herself.

For some reason, the ship veered off course and crashed into the side of a mountain. All around, sections of the ship were broken apart and splinters of hull and deck littered the ground below. A feeling of dread quickened my heart. My head shot around to the figurehead.

"Are you okay?" I shouted. The figurehead didn't move, nor did she speak.

"Don't worry, she's still alive."

I turned around to see Malady climbing up the slanted deck towards us. She clutched her side and panted painfully.

"She's s-suffered some ware and tare. But her s-spirit is still alive."

She collapsed onto the railing to the side, panting harder.

"What happened?" I asked approaching her. "Are you okay?"

She held up a hand to me. I stopped.

"It turns out bringing a whole ship between dimensions isn't as easy as one thinks," Malady said still in pain. "It takes something from my soul each time."

Before I could inquire further on that concerning detail, she took a deep breath and composed herself.

"But don't you worry about me. Let's discuss things on more stable ground, shall we?"

She got no argument from us. We proceeded down the deck and hopped onto the ground. Once everyone was on solid ground, we walked out of the brush of trees and gathered in a clearing where we saw what lay in the valley below.

Arx. The grand city of the Divine.

But it didn't look to be grand anymore. We saw plumbs of smoke coming from both in and outside the city walls. When we squinted, we could barely see the outlines of monsters crawling towards the walls. The voidwoken were assaulting the city.

"I'm pretty sure this will go down in the history books as the worst Lucian's day ever recorded," Sebille said.

"I'm inclined to agree," Ifan said.

"Looks like we're going to have to walk the rest of the way there," I said.

"Then we'd better do it quickly," the Red Prince said anxiously.

"You'd better get going then," Malady said. "I'll tend to the ship here while you find Dallis."

"Okay," I said. "Just give me a second."

I kneeled in front of all three children. They looked at me with worried looks.

"Alright, I've got to go down to the city and find Dallis. I need you three to stay here and do exactly as Malady tells you. You got it?"

All three children nodded their heads.

"Okay, I'll see you soon. Everything will be okay. I promise."

"Good luck, Mahalia," Trice said.

"Good luck," the boys repeated.

"Thank you."

I stood up and I followed my three companions down the side of the mountain, leaving the wreak of the Lady Vengeance behind us. For about twenty minutes, we stumbled through the woods until we came to a path leading further down the mountain. We followed it until we came across a gathering of people. But it wasn't just humans since Arx was a human dominated city. There were several elves, dwarves and even lizards amongst each other.

"Pilgrims," I said. Pilgrims who traveled from far and wide to Arx to celebrate Lucian's Day. Most of them seemed unharmed thankfully. But I had a feeling these people were only the lucky ones. The wealthier pilgrims parked their carts and it looked like they used their resources to create a makeshift camp for the others. It was comforting to see some decency, but we couldn't dwell on it. We just passed through the camp with a few suspicious eyes here and there. Soon we were on the road again and walked down the stone path that connected the docks to the main gates. We were fortunate we didn't have any run-ins with voidwoken on our trek along the road. But we did come across the people that weren't fortunate.

Several pilgrims lay dead on the side of the road along with several Divine Order soldiers. Up ahead was an overturned cart and several dead dwarves around it. We were still focused on getting to the front gate when a voice called out.

"J-jestina!"

We stopped and turned around to see a barely alive dwarf crawl out from under the wagon.

"Below… wedding," he croaked. "Stop… her."

I ran over to him. But before I could heal him, the dwarf fell onto the ground, the last of his blood spilling onto the stone. He was dead. The others came to my side.

"Did he say Jestinia?" Sebille said.

My eyes widened.

"This is Lohar's group. They're the ones sent to stop Jestinia. If they're here…"

"The Deathfog hasn't been stopped yet," Ifan said.

"Wait," the Red Prince said. "Is Beast's body here?"

With our combined strength, we pushed the cart upright and looked over the bodies. There were six in total. But none of them were Beast's.

"He could still be alive and had gotten into the city to stop the Deathfog by now," Sebille said.

That was a possibility. But a bad feeling clung to my gut.

"We can't take any chances," I said. Everyone looked at me. "We've got to find Jestinia and make sure she's been stopped."

I looked up to see the Red Prince about to object but I cut in.

"If we don't make sure the Deathfog has been stopped, Sadha will die along with everyone else in that city. We find Jestinia first, then we'll head straight to the Lizard Consulate to find Sadha afterwards. I promise."

The Red Prince's conflicted eyes shifted around for a moment. Eventually, to my surprise, he looked back at me with a smile.

"You've grown into quite the leadership role, haven't you?"

His smiled disappeared.

"Alright, let's make it quick, for the sake of Sadha and the people of Arx."

"But where do we look for her?" Sebille asked. "Arx is a massive city. It'd be like finding a needle in a haystack."

Ifan looked over the freshly dead dwarf.

"He said something about a wedding. 'Below wedding.' I reckon the Deathfog's going to be deployed from underneath a wedding that was planned for today."

"Guess we'd better ask the locals for the location of that wedding once we get inside," I said. I looked up at the gates of the city. "Let's get a move on!"

With that, we were off.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Another one down. Getting closer to the end and something very special I have planned. 😉

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

We arrived at the entrance to the city and found a rather dire scene. Paladins were gathered around the gate with at least a dozen pilgrims trying to cross the bridge. All the while, dozens of voidwoken of varying shapes and sizes were closing in from the skies above and the ground below.

"Time to spring into action!" I shouted as I unfurled my wings.

"Right behind you!" Ifan shouted.

We jumped right into the fray. What fallowed was a spectacle of fire, ice, lightning, blades and dismembered bodies. Thankfully, none of those bodies belonged to any of the civilians or Paladins. I killed at least eight of the voidwoken while my partners took care of the rest with ease. The powers of Source truly made us more capable fighting machines. When the last of the Voidwoken was slain, we took a moment to consume their bodies to refill the source we expended. Afterwards, we followed the pilgrims and Paladins through the gate. We found ourselves in the inner gate where the second door stood closed. On the wall above, a female Paladin Captain with dark skin looked down at us.

"You've handled yourself quite well out there, strangers," she called out. "My men and these people wouldn't have made it out alive if it weren't for your help."

"We do our best," I remarked. "Do you mind letting us in?"

"Depends," she said. "Are you associated with the Black Ring or the Magisters?"

"Not at all. They're our mortal enemies."

"Figures. You look to be Sourcerers by the way you dealt with those monsters. Our forces are spread thin as it is. We could use a hand or two from people like you. If you can spare the time, that is."

"That's nice of you to offer. But we've some business to attend to here: some old friends we want to make sure are okay."

"Understandable. Just be sure to watch your step and mind the smell when you pass through."

She signaled the guards at the gate. The guards nodded and pushed the large doors in. As they did, one of the human pilgrims walked over to me.

"Thank you, stranger," she said. "We owe you our lives."

I smiled.

"Don't mention it."

When the gates were open, the pilgrims and the surviving Paladins walked through first with us behind them. When we were through, the Captain wasn't kidding when we should mind our step and the smell. All around were piles of bodies. But surprisingly not of dead Paladins and civilians. Rather, they were the bodies of Silent Monks. Nearly every corpse was clad in Divine Order crimson and had the familiar black hue around their eyes and mouth.

"What's going on here?" I asked one of the Paladin's who we saved from the Voidwoken.

"Turns out Dallis and the White Magisters have been colluding with the Black Ring," he said. "Grandmaster Kemm has commanded the city be purged of their influence. Especially these poor bastards. Putting them out of their misery is the only real mercy we can give them."

"I'm… inclined to agree with you on that," I said. "Also, I get the bad blood between the Divine Order and the Paladins. But does this mean your troops will be spread too thin to fight off the voidwoken?"

"We can't take any chances. Voidwoken can be handled with weapons, but the Magisters and Black Ring could conspire to do something more precise and devastating here unless we remain vigilant."

Hearing him say 'precise and devastating' reminded me of why we stormed into the city in the first place.

"Sorry for changing the subject, but we're looking for an old friend who was attending a wedding today. Do you know where it's taking place?"

"Actually yes," the Paladin said. He pulled out a map of the city and pointed to a spot on it.

"You'll find it there. Keep the map if this is your first time here. It's the least I can do for saving those civilians and my brothers-in-arms out there."

"You're welcome and thank you," I said.

We took off right away into the city. The sight and smell of the bodies receded as we entered the main marketplace. When I first arrived here in the carriage, I saw glimpses of the Marketplace. It was always a bustle with people everywhere. To my surprise, even with the Voidwoken, the vendors would not waist their opportunity to draw in the Pilgrims to buy their stuff on the most profitable holiday of the city.

"Hear-ye, hear-ye!" the city crier called out. Instead of a human man like in Driftwood, it was a ten-year-old girl. "Dwarven wedding interrupted by Voidwoken! Brave dwarves party on!"

Even after the Voidwoken attacked the wedding, the dwarves continued with their party?

 _My word a lot of dwarves are crazy._

I looked down at the map and deduced where we needed to go.

"This way," I pointed to the right to a street leading south. We ran several blocks down the street to see a building with an entrance to the courtyard flanked by two dwarven guards. When I looked at the banners, they were blue and had the insignia of a Wolf. The royal colors of the Dwarven Kingdom. When I approached the door, the stoat guard of the left touted.

"Oy! No one goes in without an invitation."

"I just want to make sure a friend of mine is okay," I said. "He was attending the wedding today."

"You'll just have to wait until the party is over! Now move along!"

I looked down to the end of the wall down the street.

"Fine," I said in an exaggerated huff. I walked down the street with the others behind me. I turned left into an ally out of sight from the locals.

"Now what do we do?" Sebille asked.

I unfurled my wings and placed my hand on my pyramid.

"Count to ten," I said with a grin.

Sebille smiled and pulled out her pyramid. I leapt into the air and ran up the wall with my talons digging into the spaces between the bricks. I made it over the top of the wall and floated into the courtyard. When I landed on the ground, I tucked my wings just as the trio appeared next to me.

The four of us saw a rather tragic scene. At least a dozen wedding guests were laying dead around the bleachers with several corpses of guards and voidwoken everywhere else. But there were no corpses of the bride and groom so they must have retreated into the building along with the guests that were still alive. But they left the large wedding cake and food table behind.

"And the dwarves decided to still party even after all this?" I said.

"It doesn't surprise me," Ifan said. "The people in this city are obsessed with their special days that they'll do anything to make them work. Even when people die."

"That and the dwarves' unusual affinity for beer," the Red Prince remarked.

"Yeah. I'm going to have to agree with that," Ifan said.

"How's about we start looking around?" Sebille said.

We dispersed and started looking around the courtyard. After just a minute, Ifan called out.

"Over here!"

We came to him to find a hole in the pavement revealing a ladder.

"Looks like our Dwarf buddy left the way open for us to follow," Ifan said.

"Down we go then," I said.

One-by-one, we went down the ladder into a small confined hallway. At the end was an opened door. We walked through it to find ourselves on a stone platform high above the flowing waters of the city sewer. The platforms formed into an elaborate underground maze of stone and metal walls. Not only that, we could see burn marks and metal darts protruding out of the walls. There was even a corpse of an unfortunate homeless human man impaled by spikes coming out of the ground. On the other side of the chamber, in the torchlight, a section of a wall was opened to reveal a secret passage.

"Well, I don't see Beast's body around the traps and that secret entrance is no longer a secret," the Red Prince said. "He most definitely made it there."

"But the question is, how do we make it?" I said. "It's too confined here to use my wings to get across."

"Then I guess we'll have to do the next best thing," Sebille said standing on her tiptoes. "Wait here until I give you the signal."

She whistled a birdlike tune before she pranced into the trap infested labyrinth. She tiptoed around pressure plates and swung across pipes and metal bars over gaps. We continued watching her acrobatic skills until we saw her in the torchlight by the wall. She chirped her song. The Red Prince and Ifan put their hands on my back while I put my hand on my pyramid. A moment later, we phased right over to Sebille and the secret entrance. The Red Prince and Ifan took their hands off me.

"Nice work," I said.

"Thank you," she said with a courtesy and put her pyramid away.

I led the group through the wall to see a flight of steps leading to another opened door. When we walked down the steps and through the door, we found ourselves in a makeshift throne room. On the far wall was a throne and several tables with maps on them along with several bunks in the corners. But it was completely deserted. Where was everyone?

The only other way out was another door on the left side of the back wall. We walked up to it, but it was locked. Sebille wasted no time. Eight seconds later, the lock clicked, and the door creaked open.

"Okay, let's take it slow from here on," I whispered. We crept down a long stone hallway to find ourselves at another locked door. Once again Sebille got to work and cracked it open. One-by-one, we slipped silently through the door. Once through, we were greeted with the sounds of gears and metal clanking. Over it, we heard a voice.

"Oh good, you're awake."

The voice was distant, so it wasn't talking to us. We kept down and climbed the steps before us. When we peaked over the top, we saw something truly horrifying. A large chamber filled with barrels and crates of deathfog. And on the back wall was a massive machine with tanks of the green gas and pipes leading up through the ceiling. This was the place Justinia planned to unleash the deathfog. But when we looked at the person who was speaking in front of the machine, it wasn't Queen Justinia.

"At first, I figured I'd just kill you, but then I thought, 'Isbeil. You're wasting an opportunity here!'"

The dwarven woman in black attire who called herself Isbeil was standing before a large pit with four dwarven guards flanking her. It appeared she was talking to someone in the pit. I deduced Beast must have been captured and was now stuck in the pit.

"Don't bother thanking me just yet, though," Isbeil rambled on. "I dare say you'll be begging to die before long. Oh, but I've been so rude. You should know the real me."

She then brought her hands up and placed them seemingly on an invisible helmet around her head. When she lifted her hands, that invisible helmet revealed itself. It was a four-sided mask with the face of each race on each side. When it was completely off her head, her face was now a skeleton. She was an undead like Windigo. When I looked down the line, the other dwarven guards did the same revealing they were undead too.

"It's good to give myself a rest. Those masks can be darned pesky."

I retreated down the steps and whispered to the others.

"Ifan and Prince left. Sebille with me right."

Everyone nodded. We climbed up the steps and crept amongst the barrels as quietly as we could.

"W-w-w-why?!" we heard a mumble from the pit. It was Beast's voice. I was sure of it.

"Why?" Isbeil replied. "To please the God King of course. He feeds on war, on death, on disease. On the rich Source the living once carried within them, knowingly or not. I'd think this clear by now. The Deathfog is not just a murder-bomb, but a tool. A tool for sowing discord, a tool for pitting the Order against the Dwarven kingdom. A tool for ridding us of those who see us fail. Every race, every creed, and every claimant to the title of Divine."

I widened my eyes. Justinia was played by this sneaky witch.

"But enough of that chit-chat," Isbeil said. "I've tests to run. Now, substance number o-"

We jumped in before her hand could reach the first lever. I unleashed a Chained Lightning that jumped from the guard at the left end of the line all the way to Isbeil in the center. Meanwhile, Ifan landed an explosive arrow into the fourth guard in line, his entire body blowing to bits. The Red Prince jumped out and cleaved the last guard in two. Sebille jumped out to the second dwarf stunned by my spell. She dug her daggers under the skeleton's helmet into his skull. Shortly after, she popped his head right off his neck. Meanwhile, I swung my whip and cleaved the last guard in half like the Red Prince did to his target.

"NO!" Isbeil shouted breaking out of her stun. She swung her staff towards Sebille but she dodged the projectile with ease. From behind her, one of Ifan's arrows pierced the back of Isbeil's skull and stuck out of her empty eye socket. Before she could recover, the Red Prince slammed into her with his shield. She was launched off her feet and rolled across the floor. When she stopped at the base of my feet, I unleashed my frost breath fully onto her. Within five seconds, every bone was frozen solid. I closed my maw and lifted my foot. I slammed it down and her skull shattered into a thousand frozen bone fragments.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. We did it. I holstered my wand and looked over the edge into the pit. As I suspected, Beast was at the bottom. He was sitting his stiff body up, most likely recovering from a paralysis spell Isbeil put on him. He looked up and his eye went wide.

"Mahalia?" he said.

"Yep," I replied. "Turns out the thing we needed for our quest ended up going to Arx. I figured we lend a hand to you since we were in town."

Beast chuckled as he got to his feet and stretched.

"Well, glad you did. Seems we're even now that you've saved my arse this time."

"Guess so," I said.

Beast looked around the pit.

"I don't suppose you could offer another helping hand and get me out of here, can you?"

"Just stay where you are," I said. I took my stance and looked over at the Red Prince.

"Catch," I told him. The Red Prince hastily brought his arms out. I waved my arms and Beast disappeared from the pit. He reappeared and fell right into the Prince's arms. The Prince then put Beast onto his feet allowing him to catch his breath.

"You know," Beast said. "I would have preferred to have you come down to carry me out with your wings."

"Oh. Sorry," I said.

"It's alright," he said. He composed himself and looked over at the machine.

"We've got to deal with this thing right now," he hobbled over to the control panel. We followed him. On the panel were several nobs and switches. But one lever caught our eye with the labels of "City" and "Sea."

"That must be the switch to direct the Deathfog," Sebille said.

"Deathfog is useless when it's deployed completely underwater," Ifan said. "Switch it to there."

"Redirecting the fog away from the city to the sea," Beast grabbed the lever and switched it to "Sea". All that remained was to spin the release valve. Beast took ahold of the valve and spun it. Above, the green gas whooshed from the tanks into the pipes. The machine and pipes rattled, making me afraid a leak may happen. Thankfully, the tanks emptied, and the rattling stopped. The Deathfog was gone.

"And now to put on the finishing touch," Beast took one of the guard's war hammers. With all his strength, he smashed the hammer against the machine. Pipes and tanks were dented and broken apart. He continued his assault until the humming in the machine stopped. It was dead, never able to be used again without major repair.

"That takes care of the fog in the machine," the Red Prince said. "But what about all the other containers?"

I looked back at the corners of the room. There still were so many boxes and barrels of deathfog laying around. Far too many for us to take care of on our own.

"We'll call it in for the Paladins to clean up," I said.

"Good idea," Ifan said. "This stuff needs to be disposed of properly."

"Whew," Beast panted. He threw his hammer to the floor. Once he caught his breath, he looked up at us.

"So, what happened?" I asked him. "Where's Justinia."

Beast's eye sparked. Before he could say anything, a loud crash sounded to our left. The wall next to the machine broke apart. From the dust of the rubble, someone emerged with a flaming hammer in her hands.

"ISBEIL! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

Queen Justinia. She had bright brunet hair in a bun with an orange dress under a fur coat. Her face was plastered with makeup and her eyes seethed with rage. She stopped walking when she was ten feet away from us. She took her stance with her hammer pointed at us.

"Relax," I said with my hands up. "We've taken care of her already."

I stepped aside to show her the shattered corpse of Isbeil on the ground.

"Who are y-"

"Justinia!"

Beast stepped in front of us and pointed his hand at her accusingly.

"Marcus…" her face of anger diffused into one of many conflicting emotions.

"Why?" Beast said. "Why did you do this?"

She placed the hilt of the hammer to the floor and composed herself.

"I had no choice," she said.

"No. Don't give me that excuse! You most certainly had a choice!"

"They were going to come for us, Marcus. The horrors the Divine Order created; we weren't prepared for what they had for us. I needed to act."

"And this is your solution?!" he waved his hand to the containers of deathfog all around the room. "The whole city of the Divine Order, including people who had nothing to do with any of this?!"

"A preemptive strike would cripple the Divine Order and our Kingdom would be safe. Sometimes you must take lives to save others. And you know I will put our people's lives over others!"

"NO!" Beast roared. He crossed his arms disapprovingly. "I don't buy it! It just proves you were a weakling. You let Isbeil infect you with her venom."

"And now I know what she was," she replied. "She's gone, and the Black Ring's influence no longer has hold over me. There's no longer a reason to use the deathfog."

"That's it?! You think you can just brush this off and run away from this without ownership?"

"Run?" she sounded offended. "You accuse me of running away like you did? You were on your gods-damn pirate fantasy while I stayed and protected our Kingdom. You were playing games while I was living reality. And the reality is our people need me to return to protect them. There's no one else who has what it takes to rule. I've learned from this mistake and I want to make things right for my people."

Beast's face tightened into a disgusted sneer. Justinia was being too defensive. But I had an idea about how to let her see reason. I kneeled and placed my hand on Beast's shoulder. He looked over at me.

"I'll handle this," I said to him. He shifted his eye between Justinia and me until he eased his angered expression. He nodded and took a step back. I stood up and looked down at the Dwarven lady.

"I know that the Divine Order was going to attack your Empire, lizard," Justinia said. "If you could have done anything to protect your people, would you?"

"Actually, I'm not affiliated with the Empire anymore," I retorted. "But my allegiance doesn't matter. What matters now is that you've made a grave mistake and you're going to have to face the consequences."

Justinia widened her stance, ready to fight at a moment's notice.

"Are you going to kill me?!" she said in an angry and frightened voice.

"No," I kept a cool demeanor. "Instead I'm going to make you an offer."

I brought up my hand with my fingers closed.

"The way I see it, you have three options."

First finger.

"You can run back home. But we will tell the Paladins about what you almost did. And when they hear about it, they'll no doubt start the war you deluded yourself into trying to stop."

Second finger.

"You can try your luck against the five of us. If you lose, we'll take the credit of killing a mad follower of the Black Ring and tell the Paladins to spare your people's lives. But if you win and you run, Lohar still knows your secret and can blackmail you for the rest of your reign. And that's if he doesn't choose to spill the beans leading to the same result as option one."

Third Finger.

"Or, you can turn yourself in and confess everything to the Paladins. Tell them the Black Ring manipulated you into doing the horrible things leading up to this moment. But you need to claim full responsibility for your actions so your people can be spared."

I brought my hand down and crossed my arms.

"If you truly care about dwarven lives, and you're willing to make the personal sacrifice for their safety, it's clear what needs to be done."

Justinia's eyes franticly darted around the room. She was backed into a corner and checkmated. Her grip on her hammer tightened and shook. She looked over at Beast with a distressed look on her face.

"Mar-"

"No!" he cut her off with his finger pointed at her again. "You got yourself into this mess, Justinia. I may have been out on the waves, but I was not taking the lives of innocents. Now our people are in dire straits thanks to you. Now you've got to make a choice."

She looked at me with her distressed face. She started to pant nervously. The stress she was under was immense. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes tight. Eventually, she fell to her knees and dropped her hammer to the floor. The tears streamed from her eyes, smoldering the makeup across her cheeks. She sobbed hard.

"Oh M-Marcus… Marcus I'm s-so sorry."

She panted, trying to get a hold of herself.

"I-I've no one else to t-take the throne, Marcus. I'm afraid. I'm s-so afraid."

She curled up on all fours like the Red Prince did when he begged me to help him find Sadha. When I looked down at Beast, his stern face turned into a face of pity. He walked up to her and kneeled. He put a hand onto her shoulder.

"Believe me, I would never want to take the throne," he said. "I'm not ruler material, Justinia."

She brought her head up. Her face was a mess of mascara and makeup. She looked deep into her cousin's eyes.

"I know. But you avoided the mistakes I've made. I need someone who can rally the people. Someone who can gain their trust by listening them. I'm so sorry I never realized that about you, Marcus."

Beast looked silently into Justinia's damp eyes.

"I…"

"Please, Marcus," her hands clung to his shoulders. "I need you. I need your help. Save our people. I've no one else. I'm sorry. For everything between us. Please forgive me. Please help me."

The tears flowed from her eyes again. She sobbed while Beast could only stare in silence. Eventually, he brought up his hand and wiped the tear streams with his thumb.

"Okay," he said. "I'll come back to reality and look after our people."

Justinia lurched forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you, Marcus," she said. For a long minute, the cousins held each other in their arms. When it was finished, Justinia stood up and looked directly at me.

"There's a ladder in the corner of the throne room that leads to the surface," she said. "Once we emerge, I'll turn myself in. If my people are to be safe, I must make the sacrifice for them."

I nodded to her. We turned around and escorted the surrendered Queen back to the throne room. Once there, we saw the ladder she talked about. Ifan climbed the ladder first. When he reached the top, Ifan pushed in an oddly colored brick and a section of the ceiling above him slid out of the way revealing daylight. He and Sebille climbed through first then it was Justinia's turn followed by Beast. The Red Prince was next, and I was the last. When I emerged, I saw we were in the middle of an ally close to the marketplace. Beast then took out a rope from his bag and tied Justinia's hands behind her back.

"Guess this is where we part ways yet again, friend," Beast said. "You saved a lot of people today. Thanks for your help"

"Of course," I said. "Best of luck to you and your people, Marcus."

"Ay," he said with a generous nod. "Good luck to you too."

With that, he walked across the street to a pair of patrolling Paladins. They talked for a moment before they started escorting him and her down another street.

We did it. Arx was safe from the Deathfog and our dwarven friend was off to pick up the pieces left by his Queen. With that out of the way, we could proceed to the next task we needed to accomplish.

"Off to the Consulate," I said.

"I couldn't agree more."

The Red Prince darted ahead leaving us to follow close behind him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** To be honest, I was disappointed that we couldn't have a persuasion check for an in-between outcome for Justinia. I decided to include Beast in my story because Lohar was a short-lived leader in the ending I got. I hope that you liked me including Beast even if he wasn't that much of a prominent character in the story.

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

"Oh no…"

The Red Prince burst into a run across the bridge with the three of us hot behind him. He kept running until he stopped and looked up with a horrified face.

 _Oh no, indeed._

The entire Lizard Consulate was ablaze. Chunks of the upper levels had collapsed into the building. In front of the building, a squad of Paladins stood with barrels of water everywhere while a handful of lizards sat on nearby benches a good distance away from the fire. The Red Prince ran immediately to the guards.

"What happened here?" he franticly asked them.

"We honestly don't know," one of them said. "One moment, the Consulate was just fine. But as soon as the voidwoken started assaulting the city, the building suddenly erupted into flames."

"Did everyone get out?" the Red Prince asked. "Did anyone see a female lizard with red scales get out?"

"Not from what we've seen," the Paladin motioned over to the group of lizards. "Those are the only survivors we know of."

The Red Prince looked over to the lizards. I could feel his fear and anxiety from where I stood. He hastily walked over to the survivors.

"Red Prince," a violet scaled lizard dropped to one knee.

"Did Sadha make it out of there alive?" he asked.

"No," the lizard said. "I only saw her once when she arrived. She retreated to the garden and never left it. I don't know what happened to her there."

 _Garden?_

The Red Prince looked back at us with a confused but equally horrified face.

"What are you thinking?" I asked him.

He looked over at the flames engulfing the building.

"I need to be sure," he said. He walked to the Paladins again.

"Stand aside," he told them. "I need to see the fate of my lover myself."

"You won't make it far," one of them said. "The fire won't go out! It's cursed by the Voidwoken. We tried dousing it with water barrels and rain spells, but nothing works. All we can do is contain it until it goes out. Whenever that happens."

The Red Prince looked over at me. I smiled and brought up my hand, making it glow.

"Well you're in luck. We have a way to remove the curse from the fire."

"Really?" the Paladin said. "If you think you can do it, be our guest."

They stepped aside leaving the way to the entrance open. I looked back at the others and they nodded. I stepped towards the open door. I felt the heat of the fire wash over me. Along with it, I felt the dark presence of the curse put on the fire. I looked to my left to see ragging flames on the floor that stretched all the way to the wall and up to the balcony of the second floor. I held out my hand in the direction of the fire and channeled my source. My hand glowed with the blessing. It emerged from my hand and flowed into the fire. From where it landed, a dark aura seemed to lift from the fire, like a blanket being pulled up from a bed. Soon, the entire set of flames that stretched to the balcony was lifted of the dark aura. I raised my hands and cast my rain spell. The droplets came down through the missing ceiling and doused the flames. This part of the Consulate was extinguished.

"You actually did it!" the Paladins walked in to see our handywork.

"Of course, we did," I said. "Want to help us with the rest of the building?"

"Absolutely!"

We walked through the rubble, blessing the cursed fires while the Paladins extinguished them. After nearly ten minutes of repeating the process, the entire Consulate was no longer burning. All there was now were the scattered pieces of the building and the charred remains of the lizards who weren't as fortunate as the others. To my displeasure though, the flames didn't consume a large portrait of Zorl-stissa that hung on a large wall. After what happened, I wanted all statues and paintings of her to be destroyed.

"Thanks for your help strangers," one of the Paladins said. "We'll let you continue your business here while we gather the bodies of the dead."

"Thank you and you're very welcome," I said with a bow of my head. The Paladins left us and got to work with the bodies.

"There's the door to the garden," the Red Prince said. He ran to the door, but it was locked. Sebille instinctively took out her lockpick. But before she could even take a step, the Red Prince kicked the door open. Sebille glanced over at me and Ifan before she put the lockpick away. We followed the Red Prince into the garden.

It was quite a spectacle. A large, ankle-high lily pond lay in the center with water flowing in from fountains on stone walls. Meanwhile, all around were chairs, tables and sofas. Seeing this reminded me of Brell's estate. I remembered lounging on the sofas and reading my books in the calming atmosphere when he was off attending to his business ventures that didn't involve me. And to my surprise, the garden here was completely untouched by the voidwoken. But no one was here. Sadha wasn't here. Not even a dead body of lizard or voidwoken were here.

"Where could she have gone?" I asked.

The Red Prince wandered into the lily pond, the water splashing at his ankles. He walked up to the side where two fountains spilled water from the corners of the pond. He closed his eyes and muttered the words. When we heard him, we caught on and followed his lead. We spoke the words and opened our eyes. Before the Red Prince was a portal. When we came behind him, we could see billows of golden sand stretching beyond the portal's surface. The Red Prince turned around to face the three of us.

"Are you ready to take the plunge and help me find her?" he asked.

We looked at one another for a moment.

"You've been by our side for our endeavors," I said. "Like we've promised, we'll help you with yours."

"Thank you," the Red Prince said. "I really mean that."

We nodded. The Red Prince turned to face the portal again. With a deep breath, he led us into the unknown.

* * *

The blinding white faded from my vision. I found myself with the others in the same formation we entered the portal in. When I looked around, I saw we were in the middle of an open arena. Around the arena, several scaffoldings and decayed pillars stood around. High above, the sun shown on us in a clear blue sky. But no one was in the arena but us. That was until we heard a voice.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

At first, I thought it was the Red Prince. But when I found him standing next me, I looked to see who it really was. Standing before us was another red lizard. But not just another red lizard. It was another Red Prince. The only difference was a faint dark aura emanating from his scales. The Prince's double wore a domineering smile on his face as its bright ember eyes locked onto the real Red Prince.

"Who are you?" the real Red Prince took a step forward to address his shadow.

"Who am I?" the shadow's voice reflected the Red Prince's but with a dark hue surrounding it. "Why… I am the Red Prince. The All-Conqueror. The World-Tamer. The Spouse of the Sun."

"No, you're not," the Red Prince pointed at the shadow accusingly. "I am the Red Prince. You are nothing but a shade."

The shadow smirked.

"Am I really the shade?" it asked. "What about you? What happened to the fearless Prince of the House of War?"

To my surprise, sensed the Red Prince hesitate. The shadow continued.

"Will Sadha still love you when she sees you like this? Giving in to the demands of lesser species? Making promises to free the slaves of the Empire?"

The Shadow paused. I could feel the frustrations in the Red Prince grow.

"Tell me. Did you make that promise because you truly believe in removing a core part of our people's tradition? Or did you make it because you don't want to hurt the feelings of a fragile hearted girl of the House of Law?"

"ENOUGH!" the Red Prince shouted and drew his sword. The rest of us drew our weapons too. But when we did, we saw plumbs of smoke appear around us. I looked to my left to see someone I didn't expect to see.

"My champion," Zorl-stissa said. He onyx eyes peered into me while her body was pale white with the same dark aura as the Red Prince's shadow. When I glanced behind me, Ifan was standing before a trio of pale skinned elves with black oily holes for eyes.

"How could you, Ifan?!" the elves shouted. "You killed us! MURDERER!"

Meanwhile, the Shadow Prince himself stood before Sebille. His dark scales were darker still.

"Thank you, child," the Shadow Prince said. "You may have killed me, but my goal was completed thanks to you."

A realization hit me.

"Don't listen to them," I shouted putting my focus on Zorl-stissa. "They aren't real. This is horrorsleep!"

"We are real!" Zorl-stissa leered at me. "When we kill you, you will die."

The dream realm was an unpredictable world where anything could happen. If we died here, I could believe we'd either go mad or even die in the real world. Zorl-stissa's hands ignited with fire and lightning. I was ready before her and swung my whip up to swat her lightning hand away. She was thrown off balance. I inhaled and unleashed my thunder roar, engulfing her into a thunderous cloud. When the cloud cleared, Zorl-stissa was gone. I turned around to see Ifan had taken care of two of the elf hallucinations with the help of Afrit. Sebille was still tangled with the Shadow Prince and the Red Prince was still dueling with his doppelganger. I decided to help Sebille but before I could, I felt my body jolt with electricity. I stumbled to the ground and looked behind me. Zorl-stissa was back and standing on one of the scaffoldings.

"I cannot die, but you will!" she shouted.

She pulled her fire hand back and threw it at me. I managed to shrug off the jolt and roll out of the way just as the fireball impacted the ground. I got to my feet as Zorl-stissa jumped from the scaffolding before me. She stared me down with her onyx eyes.

"You think you can kill me and take the power for yourself?!" she shouted in rage. "I will see you dead and have the world burn before letting that happen!"

A beam of fire emerged from her hand coming directly at me. I unfurled my wings and leapt into the air just in time. While in the air, I unleashed my ice fan onto my foe, freezing her into place. I flew forward and ignited my whip. I floated down and swung my whip, shattering the goddess into a thousand pieces. But then the shards of frozen flesh all disappeared into a puff of smoke. Then, on the same scaffolding, Zorl-stissa reappeared in another puff of smoke.

"I cannot die, but you will!"

Again, I leapt into the air to dodge another one of her attacks. I glanced back at my partners and they were still battling their nightmares. Ifan's two elves he took care of came back and were attacking him. Whenever we killed our nightmare, they would come back until we were exhausted and killed us. What could we do to stop them?

It was then I saw something on another scaffolding. A mirror. A dark mirror like the Sallow Man had in his lair. It was then I noticed several more mirrors on the scaffoldings. In a split second, I knew what it all meant.

"The mirrors!" I shouted to the others. "Destroy the mirrors!"

I inhaled and unleashed a fireball into the nearest mirror. The flames engulfed it before it shattered into a thousand pieces. As it did, I could feel a tremor. Like the world around us had suddenly cracked. It was working.

But the relief was short lived when I felt another jolt of lighting hit me. My wings splayed wide, causing me to tumble to the ground while only partially breaking my fall. My legs and shoulders ached from the impact. I looked up to see Zorl-stissa trotting towards me, her Onyx eyes glowed with the ferocity of a predator eyeing they prey. I did my best to get myself out of the haze of pain I was in. I twisted my arm around to throw a fireball at her from my wand. But she raised her blazing hand and absorbed it. The ball then reemerged from her palm and flew straight at me. I was too bewildered to move. The small ball of fire hit me square in the chest. Though it wasn't as powerful as the fireball I cast from my mouth, the ball left a sizable burn in the middle of my chest piece and left some singes on my scales. Before I could recover, I felt a hand clasp my throat. As I struggled to breath, I saw the outline of Zorl-stissa looking down at me.

"You took my heart," she said. "Now I will take yours!"

She pulled back her hand, ready to punch it straight through my chest. I braced myself. But instead of feeling her hand rip through my gut, I felt the world rattle again. I didn't see what happened, but I knew another mirror was destroyed. Zorl-stissa shook, lessening her grip around my throat. It was all I needed. I grabbed my wand and ignited my whip. I swung it up, leaving a large gash on her arm. She let go and stumbled back. I took in two breaths before I inhaled deeply to unleash my ice breath. The ice pelted Zorl-stissa until she was frozen. I closed my mouth and took a moment to catch my breath again. When I got it back, I saw Zorl-stissa was slowly breaking out of the ice I encased her in. I was going to attack her again but I knew she would reappear and be more powerful if I did.

I felt the world shake again. Another mirror was destroyed. I immediately looked around and saw another mirror across the arena. I took my stance and swung my wand sending a fireball at the mirror and watched it shatter. The world shook harder. Behind me Zorl-stissa broke out of her ice prison and roared with rage burning in her onyx eyes. She pulled her fire hand back, readying a massive attack. I pulled up my shield and prepared for the worst. The flames erupted and washed over me. My shield took the brunt of the attack, but I could feel the heat overwhelming me. The metal of the shield started getting hotter, like a pan on a campfire. My arm started to burn. But I couldn't move otherwise I would be consumed by the flames. I squeezed my eyes and groaned with burning pain. I wasn't going to last much longer. The world shook again. Before I could comprehend what happened, I felt the world shake a final time before I felt like everything around me shattered into nothing.

* * *

I gasped. I opened my eyes to find myself somewhere else. I felt the sun beating down on me. When I inhaled, I felt dry desert air fill my lungs. I looked around to see I was indeed in the desert. A desert eerily like my home. Was I back at the Ancient Empire?

No. This had to be another dream.

When I turned around, I found all three of my companions standing around getting their bearings. It was then I looked down at myself. The burns on my chest and arm were gone, as if they never happened.

"Are you okay," I asked the others. Ifan was the first to look at me. His eyes showed he was haunted from what he saw. I immediately came over and hugged him.

"It's okay," I said. "It was only a nightmare. You're okay."

"I nightmare that tried to kill me," Ifan sighed.

"True," Sebille said taking a few deep breathes. "But considering we made it out, I'd say we faced our fears."

"I suppose so," the Red Prince said sounding somewhat absent. When Ifan calmed himself, I let him go and walked up to the Red Prince.

"Are you doing okay?" I asked him.

The Red Prince looked over at me with a rather conflicted face. He opened his mouth but before he could speak, another voice called out.

"Red Prince."

We all turned our attention to the voice. We saw we were standing on top of a rock archway stretching over a large river below. At the end of the archway, there stood five lizard priests. Four of them stood in a circle while they rolled their heads around still standing. They were dreamers and they were dreaming. In the center of the formation was a familiar lizard priest.

"Brahmos," the Red Prince said. He walked across the archway to stand before the formation of dreamers with the rest of us behind him. Brahmos bowed before the Prince.

"Your majesty," he said coming out of his bow. "I kept the portal at the consulate open for you. But…"

He stopped himself when his eyes wandered to the three of us. A suspicious look came across his face.

"Perhaps we could speak somewhere more private, my lord?"

The Red Prince looked back at us. His eyes shifted between each of us before he looked back at Brahmos.

"No," he said firmly. "They are my partners. If it weren't for their help, I would not have arrived here. Anything you say to me they can hear."

Brahmos narrowed his eyes at the three of us. But he returned his gaze to the prince.

"Very well," he said. "My lord, there have been so many…obstacles. The House of Shadows, agents of the God King, and other trifles beneath your royal ears to suffer. But none of that bears thinking of now. For all that matters, your highness, is this: you are here, and the Red Princess awaits you!"

The Red Prince took a step forward.

"Where is she?" the Red Prince said eagerly.

"In the center of the dream, your majesty," Brahmos said. "In the sunset eye of the dragon. Agents of the God King seek her relentlessly. There is no hiding place safe enough for her in the material realm. Only in the dream can she rest."

 _Clever woman._

"Lead me to her, Brahmos," the Red Prince said. "Show me the way."

Brahmos took a step to the side to reveal a large iron door embedded into the rock wall.

"She's there, my prince," Brahmos said. He then reached out and handed the Red Prince a silver key. Brahmos bowed deeply to before the Prince.

"Majesty, she awaits you…"

Brahmos stayed in his bow. The Red Prince looked back at us before he walked through the formation of dreamers. We followed him. He stood before the door, the key resting in his hand. He brought it to his fingers and moved it towards the lock. But when the key was merely centimeters from the lock, the Red Prince froze. His hand twitched, the tip of the key rattling against the edges of the lock. I heard him breath unevenly, like he was nervous.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

The Red Prince exhaled, not looking behind him at us.

"I hope so," he said.

He forced the key into the lock and turned it. The lock clicked and the door opened.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I went through several drafts about what our heroes encountered in the horrorsleep. I decided to settle with what I have now. Next chapter is in the works and I'm determined to make it as good as it ever can be. 😉

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

We found ourselves in an oasis. An oasis that looked eerily like the one I used to go to as a little girl. A spring of water stood by our left while rock walls stretched up and trees surrounded us. A camp stood squarely in front of us. A tent stood in the middle with a setup of carpets and sofas laying over them. It was quite a sanctuary, even more peaceful than the untouched garden of the Consulate. And sitting on one of the sofas was a familiar red woman.

"Sadha!" the Red Prince bolted forward.

"My Prince!" Sadha jumped to her feet.

Both Prince and Princess wrapped their arms around each other so hard nothing could break them apart. I heard them mumble unheard words to each other and a few tears shed from their eyes. A part of me was happy to see lovers reunite. Yet when I searched my feelings, a feeling of suspicion lurked in my chest.

The pair of lizards broke their embrace. His ember eyes looked deep into her sapphire ones.

"Oh Sadha…" the Red Prince said. "Sadha, when they took you, they said you were sworn. What happened?"

"Oh, my prince," Sadha said. I could sense guilt in her voice. "It seems inconceivable now. But the House of Shadows was closing in on me. In my darkest moment, I heard a voice call to me. It spoke of protection and power in kingdom come. So, I became sworn to the God King to save myself."

I crept up next to the pair of red lizards.

"And now you're hiding here because the Voidwoken can't traverse the Dream Realm," I said.

Sadha brought her gaze to me. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"You," she said. "You were there the last time I saw…"

Her gaze trailed off to Ifan and Sebille who walked up next to me.

"Sadha," the Red Prince said. "This is Mahalia, Ifan and Sebille. They are the ones who helped me find you."

Sadha looked suspiciously at us. But before she could say anything else, the Red Prince took a step back.

"Sadha, this is a Swornbreaker," the Red Prince unholstered the scythe from his back and presented it to her. "You can break your oath and be free of the God King."

Sadha gasped. She looked upon the weapon so graciously. She gently took the scythe in her hands with eyes that were unmistakably thankful.

"Thank you, my prince," she said graciously. "You are my savior."

The Red Prince took a step back allowing Sadha to rotate the weapon in her hands. The blade was brought above her chest. From her heart, a black tendril emerged stretching to the sky. With a decisive cut, the blade sliced through the tendril. It hissed and it evaporated. Sadha opened her eyes and dropped the swornbreaker to the carpet below. She looked at the Red Prince like she had seen him for the first time after an eternity apart.

"His voice… it's gone. I am free."

The Red Princess clasped herself to the Red Prince again. The tears streamed out of her eyes.

"Thank you, my prince," she sobbed. "By the seven thank you."

The Red Prince held her gently close to him. He shed a tear of his own.

"It warms my heart to have you freed of the God King, my love," the Red Prince broke out of their embrace. "But I must ask you to stay here until we finish our quest and oust the Voidwoken from Arx. Only then will you be safe to return to the mortal realm and we can return to the Empire."

Sadha nodded understandably. Then she took a hold of his hands.

"My prince there's something I need to show you before you leave."

Sadha brought him to the front of the tent. There was a pedestal with a satin cloth draped over something on top of it. I felt my heart pound out of my chest because I already knew what it was. When Sadha pulled the cloth back, the Red Prince froze.

"When you made love to me, you told me you would be with me to witness our child's birth together."

It was a large orange egg. But it was not an ordinary lizard egg. It was a dragon egg. The first dragon egg to begin the renaissance of dragons. Sadha stood proudly next to the egg she laid.

"Engulf our egg with your fire and it will hatch. A new age will be ushered. A new creed before which all must bow. A dawn of flame. With your child's help, you will obtain divinity and bring eternal glory to our people from here to the end of time."

Sadha was so enthusiastic about what she said. But her words caused my gut to tangle.

 _Works of art, really. A string around a slave's very soul. Obedience made absolute._

I took a step forward. Sadha turned her attention to me. Her eyes widened nervously when she noticed my hand hovering over my wand in its holster.

"What are you-"

Before she could finish, the Red Prince stepped between me and her. But to my surprise, the Red Prince was facing Sadha instead of me.

"My prince, what is going on?" Sadha asked nervously.

"It's… complicated," the Red Prince said. "We need to take a moment and talk."

Sadha looked into his eyes confused at first. Eventually she nodded to him. He looked back at me. From the look he gave, he wanted me to talk to me too. I nodded and relaxed hand away from my wand. With Sadha calm in his arms, he walked her to the nearest sofa and sat down beside her. He then gestured to the rest of us to the adjacent sofa. All three of us sat down across from the two lizards. The Red Prince brought Sadha's full attention to him. He took a deep breath, preparing for a long-winded recap of our journey.

"The day we met, the same day they took you away, everything changed for me. When you asked me in the carriage about how I wanted to be remembered, I said I would have wanted to be remembered as a hero as my old self. But when I finally met you, I wanted to be remembered as a lover. But even as my new self, I continued to change after they took you away."

He glanced over at the three of us. Sadha did too before the Red Prince continued.

"I did not respect my companions during my journey. I never addressed them by their names, I constantly bragged about the salve scar even when Sebille was a victim of it, and I kept our prophecy to bring back dragons a secret."

He glanced back to us, me specifically.

"But the biggest changed happened because of this brave woman here."

Sadha looked at me with a somewhat discerning gaze. She then looked at the Red Prince with suspicion.

"Who is she to you?" Sadha asked. I could sense some hostility mixed with a pinch of jealousy in her voice. The Red Prince dipped his head and sighed.

"My doppelganger," the Red Prince replied. Sadha's face turned from suspicion to confusion. The Red Prince lifted his head and explained.

"Mahalia was a citizen of the House of Law. She was captured by the Magisters on her way to the Consulate in Arx. When I met her on the prison ship to Fort Joy, I declared her my slave. But even after she refused, she came back to save me and the rest of the passengers when the ship went down. I took back my declaration to her and simply asked her to help me. Ifan and Sebille then joined our group and together we escaped Fort Joy."

He paused and looked down at my amulet.

"But along the way, Mahalia freed a Dragon Knight from the control of a vile which. He gave her a powerful gift because he believed she would do immeasurable good for the world. Because of that, she stood up to me and my ramblings about slavery and prioritizing our species over others. She always saw herself as the counterweight to me and the House of War."

I was really surprised about what the Red Prince said. Everything that came out of his mouth was true. I didn't need to correct him.

"As my old self, I wanted her to forget about her petty resentment towards me and the House of War. I tried to convince her to let me ascend to Divinity because I felt I had the qualifications for it unlike herself. I drew the lines in the sand at that point."

He sighed.

"Then, when they took you away, she learned about the prophecy."

He looked at me and put his hands in his lap. He wanted me to speak my part of the story. Sadha looked me in the eye. I took a deep breath and began.

"When I came across the horrors of Fort Joy, I knew on a personal level what it felt like to be a slave. I felt guilty for wearing the skin of a lizard because I felt the world only saw that damnable scar when they saw me."

I motioned my head to Sebille next to me. She turned her head to let her scar be visible for Sadha. I continued.

"The only thing that kept myself convinced I wasn't a monster was because I was still a member of your house, the House of Law. When I learned you wanted to marry the Red Prince and bring the houses together, I was furious."

I paused and glanced at the Red Prince. He nodded his head, encouraging me to continue. I placed a hand on my amulet.

"The thought of a man who saw slavery as an artform having dragon offspring both horrified and enraged me. I punched him in the snout and told him I would no longer help him. I saw him as a threat to the rest of the world. And in my rage, I threatened to tear down the walls of the Forbidden City to free every slave trapped within it when I became the next Divine."

Sadha looked horrified from my last statement. But the Red Prince gently turned her head away to face him. Her unsure gaze disappeared when he looked sincerely into her eyes.

"That was the moment I realized something. I was alone. I treated my allies unfairly. Thus, they turned their backs on me. Without their help, I would never be able to find you. That's when I apologized for my rude antics and surrendered my candidacy for Divinity in exchange for helping me find you."

Sadha stared blankly into the Red Prince's eyes.

"I know you might be disappointed in me for giving in to an adversary. But that moment Mahalia confronted me made me realize more about the world than I ever had before. When my compatriots reluctantly accepted me back into the group, I speculated the reason why we no longer were dragons. When we confronted the Shadow Prince, he confirmed my speculation. We lost our wings because we terrorized Rivellon and everyone united against us. Our ancestors were hunted nearly to extinction before we were spared and became the lizards we are now."

He grasped Sadha's slender shoulders.

"That's why I'm afraid for our children, Sadha. If we raise them to accept the values of the Empire, including the use of slavery as the crux of our civilization, I fear every kingdom in Rivellon will unite against us once the voidwoken are dealt with."

He brought her hands into his, holding them up between the two of them.

"What I'm saying is, I need your help, Sadha. I am the Prince of War. I will lead our armies to victory against the voidwoken. But I need the Princess of Law to handle the matters I cannot do myself. If our people are to enter a new age, our civilization needs to change. The slaves need to be freed and we need to make allies. Instead of having our children repeat the mistakes of our ancestors, I want them to learn the ways of the Dragon Knights: protecting the world instead of conquering it."

The Red Prince leaned closer, looking deep into her eyes.

"I know I came to you as the All-Conqueror. But I hope you can accept me as the All-Protector. Can you help me Sadha?"

Sadha's mouth hung open, unable to say anything. She bent her head down and breathed unevenly. I could see growing uncertainty in the Red Prince's eyes as he waited for her response. I looked over at Sebille and Ifan. The look on their faces told me they were as uncertain as I was. Eventually, Sadha brought her head up. When she did, her eyes expelled two tears down her cheeks.

"Oh, my prince," she sobbed. "I…"

The Red Prince gently stroked her cheek. She took several deep breaths and calmed herself with the help of her lover's gaze.

"I thought I knew what I was doing with this. I dreamed of this moment ever since the Dreamers told me of my destiny. But now… hearing your story, I-"

She choked on her words.

"I'm afraid. I'm afraid for our children. Afraid for our people. Afraid about us. I don't- I don't know-"

"Shhhhhhhhhh."

The Red Prince nuzzled his snout against hers. She took several breaths and calmed herself again.

"I was afraid too, my love," he said. "Afraid for you. Afraid for our child. But I did what my old self would never have done: I asked for help."

He gave a thankful glance to the three of us.

"I know things might seem more difficult than what we expected. But I still want our children to be born. I want to have you by my side so we can change our people's ways for the better. I'll be strong for you if you'll be strong for me."

Sadha looked into her lover's eyes. I could feel her gaining her confidence back. But something seemed to catcher her attention.

"But, if you aren't going to be the next Divine, who is?" she asked.

The Red Prince looked over at me. I stood up from the couch. Sadha looked at me with a disbelieving face combined with a shade of horror under it. I walked over to the pair and sat on my knees before them.

"I misjudged you and your future husband when I learned about the prophecy you wanted to fulfill. I let my personal feelings get in the way of the bigger picture. I promise I will not destroy the Empire when I become the next Divine. I will fulfill my duties as the Divine and offer my aid to those in need. If you face adversity in your journey to reshape the Empire into something better, then I will gladly offer my assistance to you."

Sadha stared at me for some time. I could tell she was very suspicious of me from what little we told her of me. Eventually, her face normalized into a profession gaze.

"While I don't approve of you assaulting my future husband, you have my thanks for helping him finding me and freeing me from the God King. When we return to the Empire, I will do everything in my power to uphold the ideals of the House of Law to create a nation that'll learn from the mistakes of past. And the freedom of the slaves will be a top priority."

"You do me a great honor, my lady," I said. I tucked my head in a bow before her. Something I never imagined I'd do after that moment I smacked the Red Prince senseless.

"You may rise, honorary Dragon Knight," the Red Prince said. I did so. Both he and her rose from the couch. Ifan and Sebille walked up beside me, exchanging approving looks with me.

"Now, I believe you have a prophecy to fulfill," I said showing my hand to the egg. Both Red Prince and Princess nodded graciously to me.

All five of us walked over and stood before the egg; the Red Prince and Sadha to the left while I stood to the right with Ifan and Sebille by my side. After a moment in each other's embrace, the Red Prince stood before the egg. He took a moment to comprehend the weight of this momentous occasion. For today, he would fulfill a prophecy that waited eons to be fulfilled.

He took a deep breath and unleashed his fire breath, engulfing the egg in the flames. When the flames dissipated, the egg twitched. Sadha gasped and came to her lover's side. Ifan, Sebille and I looked at each other with faces of uneasy anticipation. The egg twitched again and again, rattling around the pedestal. Then with loud crack, the top of the egg burst open.

No one moved. No one breathed.

The head of a red baby dragon emerged. It opened its eyes to reveal two ember eyes. The same eyes as its father. It roared with a juvenile but strong voice. My mouth hung open. Not since I stood before Slane's draconic form have I been so awestruck. I looked over at the mother and father of this creature. Their eyes showed the same awe I displayed but also with affectionate admiration.

"Oh, my love," Sadha said with a mystified gaze. "He is… beautiful."

At the sound of her voice, the dragonling frantically rattled and roared again. He spread his wings and the rest of the egg broke away. The dragonling was the size of Xuir. It hopped around the pedestal gleefully, celebrating his first birthday.

"I should feel terrified," Sebille whispered. "But he's…"

"… absolutely adorable," I finished her though.

"Exactly," she blankly replied.

"Trice would be bouncing off the walls if she was here with us," Ifan remarked.

"No doubt," I blankly replied.

The dragonling looked up at his father. For a moment, the Red Prince was frozen. I imagined what was going through his mind. He was the "Father of Dragons" and before him was the beginning of the new renaissance for the lizards. The dragonling beat its small wings and leapt from the pedestal. The Red Prince caught his son in his arms. The baby dragon nuzzled his snout into his father's snout. The Red Prince could do nothing but nuzzle him back. Suddenly, a bright red flame surrounded them both. But it didn't seem to harm any of them. When the flames disappeared, Sadha walked closer and gently stroked her son's head in a loving manner.

"You are bonded to your father, little one," she said. "You will go with him and help him in the battles to come."

She knelt to his son's level.

"Go and make your mother proud."

She leaned in and gave the dragon a kiss on its lips. The dragonling reared his head back and roared again. The parents of the creature looked at each other. Their expressions were nothing short of loving and proud.

But what happened next was something I didn't expect. The dragonling turned its head around and looked straight at me. My eyes widened and my body froze. The dragonling leapt out of his father's arms right at me. I was caught completely off guard that all I could do was catch him. With him in my arms, he placed his paws onto my chest and looked right into my eyes with his ember ones. Like the with his father, the dragonling nuzzled his snout with the tip of mine, while also giving me little licks with his little forked tongue. All I could do was remain still.

Without moving my head, I glanced at Ifan and Sebille to my left and right. They were just as shocked as I was and unable to move or even breath. When I looked at the Red Prince and Sadha, they had the same expression as the others. Suddenly, the dragonling started to hiccup and croak, like he had something stuck in his throat.

"WHAA!"

Without warning, the dragon belched a jet of flames. I flung him out of my arms and stumbled backwards, crashing through one of the tables behind me. I landed square on my back on the carpet.

"Are you alright?"

Ifan came to my side along with Sebille and helped me sit up. When I looked up, the dragonling hopped back into the hands of his father. The look on the Red Prince's face told me he was genuinely sorry for his son's bad behavior. I looked down at my chest. I could feel traces of heat still lingering around my breast. But my chest piece and my surrounding scales seemed to be undamaged.

"I'm fi-"

My response was interrupted when my eyes came across my amulet. Everyone else looked at it too. All three gems shown bright in the triangular formation. Each of them shined brighter and brighter and hummed louder and louder with every passing moment. Suddenly, the glowing and humming stopped. I suddenly felt like someone had punched me straight in the heart. I felt the elements swirl around my beating center. I hunched over on all fours and gasped for air. I felt Ifan and Sebille's hands on my back and shoulders while I put my hand over my out of control chest. It continued until it suddenly stopped. I managed to catch my breath and pull my hand away from my chest. I felt the elements fall back into equilibrium in my heart.

"Mahalia!" Ifan leaned closer to me. "Are you okay?"

I looked at my amulet dangling from my neck above the carpet.

"I… I'm okay," I said in a surprised way.

"Anything feel different?" Sebille asked. I wrapped my fingers around my amulet and closed my eyes. I sensed for anything unusual about myself since I put the last gem into the amulet.

"Everything… feels normal," I said. "Like nothing happened."

"So Junior only caused your amulet to malfunction?" Sebille asked.

I let go of my amulet.

"I guess so," I said. They helped me to my feet. I took a moment to dust myself off. When I finished, a thought sparked into my head.

"Did you call him Junior?" I asked Sebille.

"Why not?" Sebille said. "He was just born today. Plus, it goes with his adorable appearance."

"I like it," Ifan said. "Easy to refer to him in battle that way."

"I'm not fond of the name you've given him," the Red Prince said. "He deserves a proper name."

"How about Emirys, my love?" Sadha said. "It is the name of my grandfather who passed away merely days before I was born."

The Dragonling yipped. He seemed happy with the name.

"Emirys it is," the Red Prince said happily.

"That's a fine name," Sebille said. "But we're going to keep referring to him as Junior if that's okay."

Junior yipped again. He seemed to like the nickname along with his real name.

"Oh, very well," the Red Prince rolled his eyes.

The dragon roared a final time before he suddenly disappeared in a burst of flames. The flames then surged into the Red Prince's body. He exhaled and looked at his lover who smiled warmly.

"Call upon your son whenever you need him, my love," Sadha said.

I looked over at Ifan. He had the same idea. Junior was a part of the Red Prince the same way Afrit was a part of Ifan.

"Guess that takes care of the problem of carrying a baby dragon out in public," Sebille commented.

"Thank goodness for that," I said.

Both red lizards kissed and embraced each other.

"I will see you again soon, Sadha," the Red Prince said. "Once we defeat Dallis, I will bring you back to the Empire with a wedding worthy of leaders of a new world."

"I look forward to that day, my prince," she said. "I will wait for your return. Now go and finish it."

She motioned her hand to the spring. In the middle, another portal emerged. From where we stood, we could see the blurry outline of the Consulate Garden. It was our way back. Sadha reluctantly let go of her lover and retreated to the nearest sofa. The Red Prince looked at the three of us with a smile on his face. He picked up the swornbreaker and holstered it on his back again. We followed him into the ankle-deep water and stood before the portal. Before we walked through it, the Red Prince looked back at us with a face that could only mean: "Can you believe what just happened?"

"How fares the 'Father of Dragons'?" Sebille asked with a smirk and a bow.

He stood proudly.

"Better than I could have imagined," he said. "Even after my change of heart, this moment still is momentous. I mean… dragons. I brought dragons back into this world. That alone is a feat as amazing as becoming the next Divine."

"As long as Junior doesn't burn me again, I'll remain happy for you," I said.

I felt a nudge on my arm.

"Come on. Junior likes you," Ifan said. "You should forgive him for just a little slip up."

I sighed.

"Yeah I suppose so," I said.

"Don't worry," the Red Prince said. "I'll teach Emirys discipline along with my other dragon children. They won't go around burning cities on accident, that I promise."

"We'll hold you to that," I said. The Red Prince graciously bowed to me.

"Now, I believe it's time we return to Arx so we can get a certain someone the powers they need to ascend to godhood."

He stepped to the side, presenting the portal.

"After you."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** To be honest, Sadha didn't quite have enough characterization to truly understand her motivations. She was the Princess of the House of Law, yet I didn't know if she opposed, supported or was indifferent about slavery when it was stated that the House of Law doesn't permit the scar. So, I hope my depiction of her is fitting here.

Also, I chose the name Emirys for Junior because it was the name of the protagonist in the fic "Sunrise, sunset." Go check it out here:

s/13333033/1/Sunrise-Sunset

Getting closer to the end now. Probably will get the entire thing done by the end of May if things go smoothly.

As always, thanks for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

We emerged from the portal and immediately walked out of the Consulate into the streets. Thankfully, the Paladins didn't question what we did as they were still busy gathering the bodies. With the city safe from the Deathfog and the Red Princess free from the God King, it was time to get back on track and find Dallis.

"Off to the Cathedral to find you-know-who," I said.

"Right behind you," Ifan said.

We backtracked through the streets to the marketplace. We walked up the streets past several wandering civilians and patrolling Paladins. As we did, I looked to the sky to see several plumbs of smoke coming from the other side of the city. I imagined what the Voidwoken where doing both outside the city walls and the spots they got into the city. Once we found Dallis, I would push back the Voidwoken from the city.

We arrived at the bridge leading to the Cathedral. As we crossed the bridge, I observed the features of the grand building. Stain glass windows lined the walls and statues littered the courtyard. People stood all around the Courtyard, either praying to Lucian or observing the destruction of the city beyond. When we made it across the bridge, we were greeted by a male priest.

"Greetings! Have you come to join us in the Endless Prayer…or do you wish to walk the Path of Blood?"

I heard Ifan groan next to me. From what I've learned of the Cathedral, it was most likely from the mention of the Endless Prayer.

"Actually, we're looking for Lord Arhu," I said pleasantly.

The Priest's welcoming face suddenly turned sour. My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat.

"Oh, I am deeply sorry," he said regretfully. "Lord Arhu has been missing since for some time."

"You mean he was kidnapped?" I asked.

"His body was never found. We reported his disappearance to the Paladins. So far we've had no word from him."

 _Well this is very inconvenient._

"Well, thank you for telling us," I said with a polite nod. "We need to be somewhere else."

"May Lucian guide you, friend," the priest bowed.

We retreated to the bridge. I leaned against the railing and looked down at the river below. Everyone else did the same next to me.

"Now what do we do?" Sebille asked.

 _Indeed, what do we do?_

"Perhaps I can help you find Arhu."

We turned around from the railing to see a human woman with a violet hooded cloak obscuring her face. Before I could talk or try to make out her face, she spoke again in a whisper.

"But we need to talk somewhere private."

She lifted a gloved hand and pointed down to the ground.

"Under the bridge should do."

Without waiting for a response, the woman started to walk towards the stairs leading down to the riverbed. She wasn't waiting for any of us. The four of us looked at each other. They all had the same look of suspicion.

"It could be a trap," the Red Prince said.

"Maybe," I said. "But what choice do we have? We've no clue where Arhu could be right now. I'm willing to take the risk."

The Red Prince grimaced while Sebille had a little more optimistic face. Ifan's face was somewhere in the middle.

"Let's just stay on our toes," he said.

I nodded. We hastily went after the woman who was halfway down the steps. When we got down the steps ourselves, the woman stood in the shadow under the bridge. We looked around to see if there were any signs of an ambush, but there didn't seem to be any. I stood directly before the woman while the others stood on guard behind me.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The woman brought her gloved hands up to her hood. She spoke with an exhausted sigh.

"Someone who's given up trying to kill you."

She pulled the hood back. I gasped and drew my weapon along with the others.

"Windigo!"

Windigo didn't move. Instead, she stared at us with her empty eye sockets.

"Yes. It is I."

She lowered her bony head looking at the ground. If she had her face, I knew she would be displaying outright shame. Even so, I didn't ease my stance.

"What are you doing here?!" I asked.

She looked up.

"The same reason you're here. To find Dallis."

"Why? Because your master wills it?"

She nodded her head.

"Because you wouldn't die for me, he no longer grants me his favor. This was my chance to get it back. Find Dallis and eliminate her."

She looked up to the Cathedral as if she saw it through the bridge.

"I've found Dallis, but I've yet to eliminate her."

My stone face cracked.

"Dallis is inside the Cathedral?"

Windigo nodded.

"Inside Lucian's crypt," she said.

Ifan lowered his weapon.

"How?" he asked. "How did she get past the Path of Blood? It's impossible to get passed that without dying."

"I don't know how she did it," Windigo said. "But the man you're looking for, Arhu, does. He knows how to get past it without dying. And that's why the God King's new chosen has kidnapped him."

It was now my turn to put my weapon down.

"Who? Who has Arhu?" I asked.

Windigo's empty sockets moved to the scythe the Red Prince wore on his back.

"I'll tell you where to find Arhu. But only if you give me the Swornbreaker."

I turned around to the others. All of them had conflicted faces, even I had one. I looked at Windigo again.

"So that's it?" I said to her. "You're calling it quits after failing to kill us three times in a row?"

Windigo looked down shamefully again.

"The Covenant sounded so beautiful. Eternity, right at my fingertips. Yet it's all a lie. There is no grand reward, no enduring prosperity. Just slavery within the Void. The rule of a hellish hand. I was so naïve."

Her undead voice croaked with regret.

"The God King told me I was… special. He came close, and then closer still. Hearing him, feeling him. It was like crashing over a cliff and having him catch me, over and over. I failed him again and again. I thought I could regain his affection. But what's the use?"

She hung her head again. I replied with a stern voice.

"There are plenty of people that are dead because of your deal with the God King."

"And I have accepted that I will never be able to fully redeem myself of that. But I want to do what little I can for those who suffer now. Perhaps I can help the sick and injured in my remaining days as a mortal. But I will never be able to do that unless I am free of the God King."

She looked up at me again.

"You give me the Swornbreaker, and I will tell you where Arhu is being held."

I looked back at my companions. They were still conflicted about her words. When I managed to put my emotions aside to look at the bigger picture, I knew what the best course of action was. I held out my hand to the Red Prince. He cocked his brow.

"You can't possibly forgive her for all she's done to us," he said.

"I don't," I said. "But if she's broken of her Covenant, the God King will have one less minion on his side."

Ifan and Sebille raised their brows and nodded.

"You do have a point," the Red Prince said.

He reached behind him and took the Swornbreaker into his hand. He held it out and I took it. I brought it over to Windigo, propping it onto the floor. Windigo's sockets looked over the weapon in expressionless admiration. She took her gloves off her boney hands. She reached out and her bony hands clattered against the metal hilt. She had a grip on the weapon, but I didn't let go of it. She looked up at me in a suspicious manor.

"Tell us where Arhu is first," I said.

Windigo's demeanor relaxed.

"Very well," she said. "He's being held in a secret vault under Lord Kemm's estate."

I raised my brows. I heard the others gasp softly in surprise behind me.

"Kemm?" I said. "The head of the Paladins? He's an agent of the God King?"

Windigo nodded.

"The God King is very persuasive. Kemm beat me to it. Now he's doing who-knows-what to Arhu in his vault to get him to tell him how to bypass the Path of Blood."

"So, his order to slaughter the White Magisters is all a cover up so he can find anything he can to enter the crypt?" I asked.

"Yes. The entrance to the vault can be found in the garden of his estate behind a large fountain. I don't know where Arhu exactly is in the vault, but I know for sure he's in there."

She looked up at me. She gave me an expressionless look that said she fulfilled her part of the deal and it was time we fulfilled ours. I let go of the Swornbreaker. Windigo took it in her arms, looking at it with the same admiration Sadha did.

"Your mercy is boundless, godwoken," she said.

She brought the blade above her chest. Like with Sadha, a black tendril emerged where her missing heart would be.

"And now, I break his shackles and end this misery. No goodbye has ever been sweeter."

She pulled the blade up and the tendril was cut. As the tendril evaporated, the Swornbreaker shattered into a thousand pieces before those pieces disappeared into dust. At the same time, Windigo's body collapsed. The boney remains crumpled to the floor within her garments. A faint green mist emerged into the air. I heard Windigo's voice speak to me.

"I am me. And only me. The next move is yours, godwoken."

The mist disappeared into the air. Windigo was free. Where she went next, only she would know. I looked back at the others.

"That was quite the turn of events now wasn't it?" the Red Prince said.

"Indeed," I said. I couldn't fully comprehend it either. "But we'd better get a move on to rescue Arhu."

"But how do we do that?" Ifan said. "Kemm is the Grandmaster of the Paladins and we've no physical evidence to convict him."

Sebille pulled out her pyramid with a smirk on her face.

"Then we'll handle this the old-fashioned way," she said with a wink.

I grinned.

"Once we get Arhu out, the Paladins will oust Kemm and we should have little trouble from them after that."

"But that's if all the Paladins aren't sworn to the God King too," Ifan said.

"I highly doubt that," I said. "Regardless, we need to get moving so we can stop Dallis from doing whatever she's going to do in Lucian's crypt."

* * *

After looking at the Map and asking for directions, we arrived at Lord Kemm's estate. It was a grand mansion with elegantly carved wood and stone architecture. The warm amber shading of the exterior made it much more welcoming than the grey exterior of Ryker's mansion. I imagined the interior was just as fancy as the exterior. But it looked like we weren't going to be able to see it for ourselves as we saw several guards at the doors. We decided to pass the estate and look for another way in. Thankfully, there was a small unseen gap between an iron fence of Kemm's estate and the neighboring mansion's wall. When no one on the street was looking, we scooted through the gap single file. When we reached the part where his estate ended and the garden began, we peered through the iron bars into the garden.

It was an elaborate set up of statues, archways and planets, both native and exotic. If Brell saw this and compared it to his estate's garden, he would no doubt be green with envy. To our luck, the fountain Windigo mentioned was nearby. But several Paladins patrolled the pathways along with the gardeners maintaining the flora. I looked over at Sebille. She smirked.

"Listen for my signal then count to ten."

With a boost from me and Ifan, she climbed over the fence. Ifan then scooted over and put his hand on my shoulder. The Red Prince then put his hand on Ifan's back. I kept my hand by my side, ready to put it onto the pyramid once Sebille gave the signal. We watched as Sebille ducked in and out of the statues and bushes until she made it to the fountain. She ducked behind the large wall it was attached to out of our view. Fifteen seconds later, we heard her whistle her tune that the guards would disregard as a regular bird. I placed my hand on top of the pyramid and counted to ten in my head. After ten, I focused my mind on the Red Pyramid.

All three of us phased out of our cramped space between the fence and wall. When my vision returned, I found Sebille standing in front of us on a stone balcony underground. When I looked to the right, I saw a staircase leading up above. Several of the top steps rose into a single block and aligned into the ceiling. Hopefully, no one saw Sebille enter the secret staircase and didn't notice the stone ground folding.

"Good work," I said to Sebille.

"Of course," she said putting her pyramid away. She looked the other way over the balcony. Down another flight of steps was the vault of Lord Kemm. Like the garden, it was an elaborate maze of statues, paintings and display stands showing rare antiques.

"Quite the collector, isn't he?" Sebille said.

"Indeed," I said. When I looked around a little more, I felt a little disappointed. "But I'm not seeing a living man in all of that material clutter."

"Then we'll just have to look around to see if there's a secret vault within Kemm's secret vault," Ifan said.

The four of us descended the steps into the labyrinth of artifacts and spilt up. I combed through several bookshelves, display cases and looked behind several paintings stacked against the walls. After twenty minutes of searching, Ifan called out.

"I think I found something."

I put the books back onto the shelf I took them from and walked over to where the others joined Ifan. He was staring at a wall. An empty wall.

"Found a way to open this secret wall?" I asked Ifan.

He walked over to an engraving on the side of the wall, he slid it to the side to reveal a keyhole. Sebille immediately walked over to the hole and got to work. I expected her to crack it open in ten seconds. But after a full minute, I was shocked when I heard a snap.

"Damn!" Sebille cursed. She dropped the now useless pick to the floor. "Too elaborate for a pick."

"The only other way would be to find Lord Kemm and pick the key off him," I said.

"But the problem is we don't know where our corrupt Paladin is," the Red Prince said.

"True," Ifan said. "But I don't think we need to resort to such a measure."

He was looking above the wall. I looked up to see a hole in the wall. Too small for Sebille to squeeze through. But large enough for…

"Junior," Sebille and I said in unison. We turned to the Red Prince. He nodded and closed his eyes. A second later, Junior appeared on the ground before him in a small flash of fire. The dragonling hopped around happy to be in the material world for the first time. After his little dance was finished, he looked up at his father.

"Son," the Red Prince said. "I need you to fly to that hole and crawl into it. Once you're through, find a way to open the hidden door. Understand?"

Junior yipped. He was eager to help. The Red Prince picked his son up and tossed him upwards. With a flap of his wings, Junior ascended and clasped onto the edge of the hole with his front claws. He folded his wings and squeezed his little frame through the wall. After being out of view for twenty seconds, we heard a heavy click and the stone of the wall shook. Slowly, the wall slid out of the way to reveal a proud dragonling sanding before a stairway leading further down. The Red Prince knelt and gave Junior a good pat on the head.

"Good work, Emirys," he said. "You make your father proud."

The baby dragon hopped into his father's arms with glee. After a loving nuzzle, Junior disappeared back into his father's body. He stood up and looked over at the rest of us with a proud smile.

"Shall we proceed?" he presented the stairway.

"Of course," I said.

I lead the way down the stairs to the door. When I opened it, I was taken aback from what lay on the other side. It was wide hallway with several pillars flanking the blue carpet laced with golden patterns laid down the length of it. At the end, there was an alter standing before a large statue of a four-winged skeleton. Cautiously, we walked down the hall. When we were three-quarters of the way to the alter, I felt as if a dagger had pierced my head. I fell to my knees and clutched my head.

"Mahalia," Ifan said. I felt his hands and the others' support me. "What's wrong?"

I didn't answer him. Instead I lifted my head to look directly at the face of the statue. Though it was motionless, I could feel that the statue was speaking to me.

"Such a long journey you have undertaken in the service of thieving charlatans. In pursuit of that which you will never obtain."

The voice was soft and calm. Yet laced with disappointment.

"I saw your abysmal treatment of my servant, Isbeil. Please, test my patience no further. This is your last chance. Abandon this folly. Leave, and never return."

It was the God King. He was speaking to me. The realization gave context to the depth of his voice. He continued.

"Please, test my patience no further. This is your last chance. Abandon this folly. Leave, and never return."

The echo of the void reverberated in my head. Through the haze of pain, a determination burned in my heart. A determination that dulled out the pain. I spoke to the statue out loud.

"If we give up, you'll just kill us all. If you can't coexist with us, then you leave us no choice. I will not give up and I will protect our world from your genocide."

I felt him sigh heavily, like it had come from the void itself.

"Then you leave me no choice either," the God King said. "Such a pity."

His presence in the statue faded away as the pain receded. I gasped as my mind was clear and the anger vanished from my body. I became aware of Ifan's hands holding on to me. I looked over at him.

"What happened?" he asked with a concerned look.

I took a deep breath and stood myself up.

"The God King spoke to me," I said to everyone. "He told us to stop our folly."

"But you clearly told him to sod off, didn't you?" Sebille asked.

"Indeed, I did," I said. I glanced up at the statue again. "Though I think he might have warned his minion of our intrusion here."

"Then we'd better find Arhu and prepare for Kemm's arrival," the Red Prince said.

"Right," I said. I looked back at the altar under the statue. I assumed that there was as secret passage under it. But the question was, how do we open it? I looked to the right and saw a shield laying on the ground.

 _Perhaps…_

I picked up the shield and placed it on the altar. Just as I hoped, the alter slid back to reveal another hidden staircase.

"Down we go again," I said.

We descended the steps to another door. When I opened it, we found ourselves in a wide chamber that looked eerily like Ryker's under-chamber. But there weren't any bodies piled up. Instead, there were several crates and barrels stacked alongside restraining tables and chairs. This was a dungeon. And there was a single prisoner occupying it. In the center, on a circular sigil, was a human man with dark skin and crimson robes reminiscent of the attire of the priest from the Cathedral.

"It's him," I said. "It has to be."

I ran over and knelt before him. He was on his knees with his arms held up, as if he had invisible chains restraining his appendages. His eyes were half open. I could feel his body trembling. Like he was in serious pain in his half-conscious state.

"Lord Arhu," I said. "Can you hear me?"

Arhu didn't respond. He continued to writhe in pain oblivious to us. What could be doing this to him? Immediately, I knew how to find the answer. I stood up and spoke the words. I opened my eyes to reveal three ghostly figures surrounding Arhu. Each held a chain in their hands pulling him in different directions: one on each of his arms, and the last on his neck. The others spoke the words and saw what I saw.

"Seems easy enough," the Red Prince said. "We absorb these ghosts restraining him."

It looked like we were going to have to break our rule of not absorbing people's souls. But that wasn't what caught my attention.

"We're going to need to carry him out of here since we don't have our pyramids to escape," I said.

"What are you thinking?" Ifan asked.

"You three hide and prepare an ambush for Kemm when he arrives. I'll free Arhu."

"Good thinking" Ifan said. He turned around to the others. They spilt up to find their hiding spots among the crates and barrels. Once they were hidden, I turned my attention to the ghosts surrounding Lord Arhu. I raised my hand to the one on the right. The beam emerged from my hand into the ghost. One moment later, the ghost vanished, and I felt a wad of Source fill a portion of my body. But that wasn't the only thing that happened.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

I was startled when Arhu woke up and screamed so hard. He panted franticly, his eyes wandering around aimlessly. He knew someone was here with him, but he was oblivious to my presence.

"STOP! Y-YOU'RE GOING TO KILL M-ME!"

Arhu's head dropped as he fell back into the painful limbo he was in when we found him. I saw Ifan emerge from his hiding spot and walking towards me.

"No, I got this," I said holding my hand up. "Stay hidden for Kemm."

Ifan reluctantly nodded and went back to his hiding spot.

I looked down at Arhu again and the two remaining ghosts holding him down. If removing the shackles harmed him, then he could die if I consumed the other two.

 _Unless…_

I channeled the Source in my body and blessed Arhu. He moved only slightly, not regaining full consciousness. I could feel the trembling in his body had eased. The blessing must have dulled the pain. It was my chance. I trained my hand on the ghost on the left. Again, the beam emerged, and I felt my body fill with source when the ghost vanished. Arhu only mumbled as the chain disappeared, like someone who rustled in bed when they weren't comfortable. It worked. I quickly consumed the last ghost, feeling the Source top my body to capacity. With the final shackle removed, Arhu stopped glowing with my blessing and started falling forward. I hastily caught him before he slammed face first onto the floor. He mumbled in his half-conscious state, his eyes flickering around.

"Arhu," I said. "Are you awake?"

I gently tapped Arhu's face with my fingers. He groaned painfully and his eyes flickered open. His pupils rested on me with surprise.

"Who…" he stuttered in a painful whisper. "Who are you?"

I opened my mouth, but the noise of the door opening interrupted me. I looked up to see five Paladins enter the room. They stood in a line before me. I let go of Arhu, allowing him to sit up while I stood up. In the center of the line was a human man with long blond hair wearing a set of heavy Armor and an exceptionally large shield. That had to be Lord Kemm. His eyes landed on the exhausted Arhu.

"My dear Lord Arhu," Kemm said in a rather contempt voice. "You should have told me you were expecting a visitor!"

Arhu tried standing up but his weak body caused him to groan and remain on his bottom.

"Why, Kemm?" he said with whatever remaining strength he could muster. "Why betray everything for which you once stood?"

Kemm's brow shot up followed by a smirk.

"Betray? I didn't betray the Order. I liberated it!"

"And how did you do that?" I shot back.

"You must be the pesky godwoken my lord warned me about. But to answer your question the answer is simple: as one of Lucian's pawns, I stood for weakness. Frailty. And then…then the God King showed me the world as it could be. He made a promise. He promised me a path unburdened by Lucian's pathetic need to defend the defenseless. He promised me a world dominated by the worthiest bloodlines across the ages. He promised me a lasting seat at his glorious table in return for my oath. For the king chooses only the strongest. The most loyal. The most deserving!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Another fallen hero. What a surprise. I only wish my Swornbreaker had not been used up. That way I could have offered you a second chance like what I gave Windigo."

Kemm raised his brows.

"Windigo? That witch tipped you off about Arhu? She is quite the hag, always wanting to be the God King's favorite."

Kemm took out his sword and pointed it at me. The other Paladins did the same.

"Once you're dealt with, I will personally lead a good old witch hunt for that useless trat-."

Like with Isbiel, we sprung our trap.

Ifan emerged and nailed the second corrupt Paladin from the left square in the head with an explosive arrow, sending shards of his undead skull flying everywhere. Meanwhile, Sebille hopped onto the first Paladin in line and used her daggers as leverage to pop his undead head off his neck. The Red Prince emerged and decapitated the fourth Paladin in line while Afrit and Junior pounced on the fifth Paladin, wrestling him to the ground.

Kemm was caught off guard allowing me to ignite my whip and swung it across Kemm's face. He stumbled backwards while I inhaled and unleashed my fire breath onto him. When I was out of breath, I closed my mouth and inhaled the air I needed. But I couldn't rest because my opponent wouldn't let the flames be the end of him. Kemm, with his skin and armor on fire, lunged at me with his sword. I instinctively jumped back to dodge. But that left the path between Kemm and Arhu open. The corrupt Paladin lunged for Arhu. But the Red Prince dashed in front of Arhu and raised his shield to block the attack. The Red Prince then pushed his body forward and forced Kemm back. I saw Ifan launch an arrow at Kemm from behind. But Kemm was ready for it. He brought his shield around and blocked the arrow. Not only that, but the arrow reflected off it and headed straight for Ifan. Ifan tried to dodge but wasn't quick enough. The arrow embedded itself into his shoulder. I gasped.

And that moment nearly cost me my life as Kemm blocked the Red Prince's attack and forced him back. Kemm charged at me. I brought up my shield and blocked his attack. But the force of the attack forced me to stumble to the ground, leaving me exposed. I caught a glimpse of Kemm's burned away skull face as he lunged at me for the killing blow. But before he could bring the sword down, Sebille jumped on his back and put her daggers into his head, trying to pop it off. But Kemm twirled around, causing Sebille to hold on to him as she was thrashed around. Unfortunately, she couldn't hold on and was thrown off. But Afirt and Junior took her place. Both creatures jumped on him, Junior clasping to his face while Afrit bit hard into Kemm's sword hand. Kemm thrashed around trying to get them off. He managed to get Afrit off. But the wolf managed to take Kemm's hand and sword with him. With him now disarmed, and Junior still clasped to his face, the Red Prince took his chance and brought down his sword behind Kemm. The blade came down at the seem at his shoulder and cleaved right through. Kemm's entire arm fell off along with the shield. Kemm's roar of pain was muffled by Junior's body.

"Son! Off!" the Red Prince commanded. Junior leapt off Kemm's face just as the Prince swept Kemm off his feet. Kemm landed on his back with a heavy thud. He managed to get a look at the Prince before he brought his sword down and decapitated the skeleton. A silence fell on the chamber once the Grandmaster was slain. The Red Prince exhaled and sheathed his sword.

I got to my feet and immediately rushed to Ifan. He had pulled the arrow out of his shoulder, leaving a trickling stream of blood flowing from the wound.

"Stay right there," I said. I held my hand out and channeled the cold from my heart. The energy flowed from my palm and entered the wound. A moment later, it closed with the leather of his armor still stained with his blood.

"Thanks," Ifan said giving me a charming look. "You're a life savior."

I felt myself blush a little.

"I'll never let you die when I'm around," I said picking him up to his feet. He clapped me on the shoulder and nodded. Afrit then came over and Ifan pet him. A moment later, he disappeared back into Ifan's body.

I turned around to see Junior return to his father's body. Afterwards, the Red Prince picked Arhu up and put his arm over his shoulder. The rest of us walked up to Arhu. He sighed in relief, his body still sore from the torture he had endured.

"Thank you, strangers," he said. "I thought you were going to kill me. But what you did to free me… it's only confirms you are godwoken."

"Yes," I said. "Gareth, the Seekers, said you might be able to help us."

"Ah. To get into the Tomb of Lucian no doubt."

I nodded.

"Dallis took the powers of the Divine and made it into Lucian's Crypt. We need your help to get past the Path of Blood to stop whatever she plans to do in there."

Arhu sighed and looked away remorsefully.

"I swore an oath to prevent anyone from ever entering the tomb of the Divine. But I'm beginning to think it might be a mistake. I've heard of your deeds, Godwoken."

"You have? We've been doing our best to keep a low profile."

"I've heard a whisper of a family who escaped an attack at the Black Pits thanks to the heroics of two lizards, an elf and a human."

He looked at everyone else.

"Gareth was right," I said. "You really do have a keen eye for details people usually overlook."

"It's the reason Lucian trusted me to guard his tomb. To never have anyone, especially a godwoken, reach his remains. But under the circumstances, the encroachment of the Void is something that can't be ignored. I'll help you get past the Path of Blood to enter his crypt."

"How do we do that?"

"There's a toymaker by the name of Sanders. He was – is – one of the engineers who designed the Path of Blood on behalf of Lucian. He's a genius, but his ways are, let's say, idiosyncratic. He now works as a toymaker here in Arx. Do you have a map?"

I pulled out my map and Arhu pointed at a spot back in the market district.

"You may tell Sanders I sent you. He'll have everything you need to bypass the Path of Blood."

"Thank you for helping us Arhu," I said. He nodded in acknowledgement. "Now it's time to get you out of here."

"I appreciate your help, godwoken."

Ifan put Arhu's other arm over his shoulder and both he and the Red Prince carried him out of the vault with Sebille and I leading the way.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm so glad I came up with the idea of Windigo approaching the Godwoken and giving them the necessary information in exchange for the Swornbreaker. It was a little jumbled in the game having to convince Kemm to spare the disobeying Paladin so she could give a faint clue to Kemm's vault.

Now that Kemm and Arhu's part is done and over with, its time I get to part I've been waiting so long to do for a loooooooooooong time. What is it? Stay tuned and find out next time. 😉

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

We emerged from the vault to a rather unwelcoming committee. A dozen Paladins stood with their weapons pointed at us. But one of them lowered his sword. It was a man with familiar chestnut hair. He opened his mouth to speak but when Ifan and the Red Prince emerged, his eyes, darted to the man they carried.

"Lord Arhu?"

"Paladin Cork," Arhu said. "So good of you to arrive with your fellow uncorrupted Paladins."

Cork ordered his men to stand down. They did so.

"What were you doing down there?" Cork asked.

"Being held by the traitor Kemm," Arhu replied. "You'll find his body and all the evidence of his collusion with the Black Ring down there."

The Paladins looked at each other uneasily at the mention of the Black Ring. Arhu continued.

"Now, if you don't mind, I would gladly accept escort to the Cathedral's hospital wing. Kemm's torture techniques really took their toll on me."

"But what about these four?" one of the other paladins said.

"They are my saviors," Arhu said. "If you would kindly offer an escort for them so they can finish their crucial journey, both they and I would greatly appreciate your help."

"Of course," Cork bowed and turned to his compatriots. "Okay. Riley, Hector, you two help Arhu to the Cathedral. Boris, Walt, report what you find down there. Lee, consult with Lady Kemm. She'll need to know what her husband has been doing. The rest of you are with me. We'll escort these four to wherever they need to go."

"Yes sir!" the Paladins said in unison. Two of them took Arhu from Ifan and the Red Prince while two more entered the vault. A single paladin walked back to the estate. As Arhu was carried away, Cork came up to me and offered his hand.

"Fate has seemed to bring us together once again, Mahalia," Cork said.

I smiled and shook his hand.

"It's good to see you alive and well, Cork," I said.

"Likewise," Cork said. He stepped aside and presented the way to the estate. "Lead the way and we'll accompany you."

"Thank you very much," I said. I lead the way with my companions behind me and the remaining Paladins flanking us. When we passed through the interior of Kemm's estate, it was as fancy as I'd imagined it would be. I also managed to catch a glimpse of who I assumed to be Lady Kemm speaking to the paladin that Cork sent to console her. As I predicted, she was equal parts confused and sad. Once we exited the estate and proceeded down the streets, Cork walked beside me and started the conversation.

"So, what brings you to Arx, friend?"

"Dallis," I said. "She stole the powers of the Divine and we're here to take it back."

"Divine?" one of the Paladins behind me said. "Are you saying…"

"They're godwoken," Cork said looking back. "One of them will take Lucian's place and save us from the Voidwoken."

"I find that hard to believe," another Paladin said.

"I don't," a darker skinned Paladin said. "These are the people who held off two dozen voidwoken at the gates. Saved a dozen pilgrims along the way."

"True," a female Paladin said. "But even if they are godwoken, which one of you will be the one to ascend?"

"She is," Sebille answered. I knew she meant me without having to look behind me.

"Really?" the female Paladin said. "Well pardon me for feeling just the hint afraid that a lizard will be Divine."

"Normally, you'd be right to be afraid for a lizard of the House of War becoming Divine," the Red Prince said. "But she is of the House of Law. Or rather… was."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the female paladin said.

"It means she's the most benevolent and unbiased soul to handle the responsibilities of the Divine," Ifan said. "She was even gifted an amulet of power by a Dragon Knight. That should tell you everything you need to know."

"So that's what that is?" Cork said pointing at my amulet.

"Yeah," I said taking ahold of it. "Sorry I didn't mention it to you during our encounter. But we indeed came across a Dragon Knight. In exchange for freeing him from the control of a witch, he gave me this believing I would do immeasurable good for this world."

"For which I can attest to that," the Red Prince said.

"Same," Sebille said.

"Absolutely," Ifan said.

Cork grinned.

"Perhaps you would have been suited for a position among the Paladins if times were different."

"Maybe," I said. "Though seeing as Lord Kemm was corrupted to side with the God King, I think there ought to be some restructuring within the Paladin Order."

"Once things die down here in Arx, we'll go through the process of determining the new Grand Master," Cork said.

"How far up the line are you, Cork?" Sebille asked.

Cork didn't respond.

"He's not too far from the top," one of the Paladin's remarked.

"I try not to get my hopes up," Cork said. "All I want to do is protect the innocent, regardless of my position."

"All the more reason you'd be perfect for the job," I said. "But I understand. Best to focus on the here and now."

"Exactly," Cork said. "So where do you need to go?"

I looked up and observed the streets. They were starting to look familiar.

"First we got to make a stop in the market district to meet with a toymaker by the name of Sanders. We'll need his help so we can get past the Path of Blood to get after Dallis."

"Dallis is in Lucian's tomb?" Cork asked. I nodded.

"Then we'd better waste no more time."

We stepped up the pace.

* * *

Ten minutes later, we were back at the Market District before the entrance of a shop.

"You wait out here," I said to Cork. "We'll get what we need from Sanders."

"Of course," Cork curtly nodded.

He stood at attention along with his Paladin brethren. As they stood guard, the four of us opened the door and entered the shop. What awaited us was truly another world. The store was filled to the brim with toys. But the thing that drew my attention were wooden puppets. Puppets that had no strings. They were alive. Or at least sentient. Three were standing around on the floor while four were sitting on the shelves with their wooden legs hanging over the edges. Behind a counter, a middle-aged human man was tinkering with an inanimate puppet before he looked up. He had to be Sanders.

"A visitor," he said with a voice that showed his idiosyncratic nature. "Tell me, do you like puppets?"

All the puppets' wooden faces turned to look at us. When I looked at all the puppets around me, I thought about what the children would think of this place. I'd imagine they would love to be here. But for me, the faces of the puppets reminded me too much of the Silent Monks we encountered at Fort Joy.

"Used to as a child," I said. "Not anymore though."

"That's a shame," Sanders said. "Perhaps this will change your mind."

He looked back down at the puppet sitting on the counter. He clicked a final piece into place on its back. The puppet sprung to life. It jumped to its feet on the counter. It turned its head around before it saw me. It leapt off the counter and clattered up to me on its wooden legs.

"Good day to you, madam," the toy said with a grandiose bow. Even with the reserved fear in me, I managed to crack a smile.

"Ah," Sanders said noticing my smile. "I told you so. There's a lot of craftsmanship in that small package. Quite a lot. And it truly pays off in the end."

"That's fine and all," the Red Prince said impatiently. "But Arhu said you can help us with the Path of Blood."

Sanders's smile disappeared.

"Arhu?" he said.

"Yes," I said. "He said you were one of the architects for the Path of Blood. We need your help to circumvent it to enter the tomb."

Sanders raised his brows suspiciously.

"For what reason?" he asked.

"Because Dallis has entered the Lucian's tomb and is going to do something to his remains. If you don't help us, there won't be a new Divine to fight the Voidwoken."

"Divine?" his gaze wandered to something unseen in the corner of his store. The next time he looked at us, he squinted as if to evaluate us.

"You must be godwoken then," he said.

"Indeed," I said.

He brought a finger to his lips and looked up.

"Something truly drastic must have happened for Arhu to tell godwoken knowledge to enter dear Lucian's tomb. What changed his mind?"

"Lord Kemm kidnapped and tortured him," I replied. "We managed to rescue him and slay Kemm in the process."

Sanders tilted his head back in slight surprise.

"Then I was right to sequester myself here with my puppets. Trusting people is a folly."

He then looked up a flight of steps to the second level.

"But if Arhu has changed his mind, then I will do my part to help you. Just wait here while I get what you need. In the meantime, enjoy the show."

As the man climbed up the stairs, the puppets started to dance and sing. When they weren't doing either, they were participating in slapstick hijinks. Once again, I couldn't help but laugh and applaud them for their performance. Even the others joined in the applause. Five minutes passed and Sanders emerged from the upstairs. The puppets dispersed back to their original places as Sanders walked up to me. He held two things in his hands.

"These are what you'll need to pass the Path of Blood," he said.

He shook his right hand holding a green amulet.

"First, you must charge this amulet with Source. Once it is, proceed into the chamber in the Path of Blood. On the left side of the chamber, on a pillar near Lucian's statue, you should see a hidden mechanism. Put the charged amulet into it."

He then shook his left hand containing a scroll.

"Then read from this Scroll of Atonement. Everything else will be taken care of if you do everything correctly."

He held out both items to me. I took both into my own hands.

"Thank you," I said.

"Of course," he bowed his head. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

He walked back behind the counter and started to assemble a new puppet from scratch. We turned around and left the shop.

Back on the street, Cork and his Paladins looked to us.

"Found what you need?" Cork asked.

"Yes," I said. "Just give us a second more and we'll be ready."

I held the Source amulet at the tip of my fingers in front of me.

"Let's charge this together," I told the others. Ifan, the Red Prince, Sebille and I stood in a circle and each of us placed two fingers on the green amulet. We closed our eyes and channeled our Source. I felt the Source flow from our bodies into the amulet until I felt it was full. Everyone took a step back. The amulet glowed bright green with the Source inside of it.

We had the key to Lucian's tomb. All we had to do was put it into the lock and read what the Scroll had written on it to turn the key.

I looked over at Cork with the charged amulet and Scroll of Atonement in my hands.

"We're ready," I said. "Off to the Cathedr-"

 **BOOM!**

An eruption of fire caused all of us to duck. Suddenly, a vale of smoke enveloped all of us. I heard shouting and weapons being drawn, but I couldn't see anyone around me. Then, without warning, I felt a large hand come over my mouth and something sharp penetrate the side of my neck. I tried to move but I felt a cold liquid flow into my bloodstream. Before I realized what happened, I felt the liquid creep into my heart and my entire body went numb. My eyes roll up in my skull and my consciousness faded away.

* * *

Pain. That was all I felt. Every inch of my body was aching when the senses came back to me. My eyelids fluttered open, allowing painful light to enter my eyes. I groaned as I squinted, letting my eyes adjust to the light. I then heard something. Something muffled.

"W-where…?" I muttered. The muffle then cleared into a clear voice.

"Ah. You're awake."

It was a deep and foreboding male voice. Charming, yet menacing. Far more sinister than the voice of the Shadow Prince.

I realized I was laying on my back on a cold metal surface. But with the sound of clanking gears, I felt my orientation with the world shift. The table tilted forward until I was orientated upright. I felt the pain of metal restraints around my wrists and ankles as I dangled by them. The only things I could move were my head and tail. I was on a torture rack.

When my vision cleared, I looked down to see I was striped completely naked. My clothes, my weapons, even my amulet were gone. I no longer felt the hum of the elements inside my heart. On top of all that, I felt my body was nearly depleted of Source. I felt weak. Exhausted. A far cry from the power I felt the last time I was conscious.

When I looked up, I saw other racks on the other side of a dark room with the remains of their most recent occupants coating their surface in the dim torchlight. A horrible thought entered my mind. Was I still in Fort Joy? Was everything before just a dream?

Just then, a human man came into view in front of me. He was a rather young man with golden blond hair and a full developing beard. His eyes were sharp, and his lips were curled into an unsettling grin.

"I do apologize for the impolite manor this meeting was arranged," the man said. "But your rude behavior with my Advocate forced my hand."

 _Advocate?_

I felt a realization wash over me. I wasn't still in Fort Joy. I was talking to…

"Adrama-AAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!"

An agonizing pain shot throughout my body as the restraints around my arms and legs tightened. My body was stretched up and down. I groaned and gritted my teeth until the restaurants stopped pulling. I gasped and panted hard as the pain eased from excruciating to extremely uncomfortable. When my vision cleared again, I saw two possessed elven nurses on my sides working the gears of the torture rack. I looked back at the man whose face turned stern.

"I prefer the title 'Doctor'," he said. He leaned forward, his sharp eye piercing into me. "Can you remember that?"

He waited for my answer. When I caught my breath, I prepared my response through the haze of pain I was in.

"F-fine," I said, trying my best to not sound too submissive.

"Good," the Doctor said taking a step back. Internally, I was thankful he didn't take my attitude as another reason to inflict more pain on me. He had returned to his business-man demeanor.

"As I said, I've learned about your little indiscretion on Bloodmoon Island on the behest of that pest, Jahan. You should know his line of work is one of great consequences, right?"

He awaited my answer again.

"I assumed there would be risks," I muttered.

"But do you have any regrets," the Doctor asked.

My arms clattered against their restraints.

"Some," I said.

The Doctor's eyes narrowed.

"That's only half true," he said. It was then he brought his hand up. My eyes widened. He was holding my amulet.

"Quite a find you have here," the Doctor said looking at it. "The Dragon Knights must have seen something special in you to be given this. I assume it must be the delusion of the duty to protect lesser beings instead of ruling over them."

His sentence reminded me of Pre-Sadha Red Prince. I felt a spark of anger in my core, but wasn't enough to dull the pain I was in. Even so, I mustered enough strength to reply to the Doctor.

"That's because we believe in helping others and treating them as equals. That way when you fall, they will be by your side to help you."

"A bold statement," the Doctor said. "But that is the reason why I had to bring you here under unconventional circumstances."

"So that's what this is all about?" I said with a smirk. "You brought me here because I was a bad girl and you need to punish my bad behavior?"

The Doctor nodded to the nurses beside me. A second later, I gritted my teeth and screamed as my hands and legs were pulled again. When the restraints slackened, I panted in a much more uncomfortable state than before. He continued.

"Actually, I've something better in mind. An opportunity in fact."

He held out his left hand. He was holding the Scroll of Atonement.

"You're godwoken. You want to be Divine. But what awaits you in the tomb is something you are not strong enough to handle, even with the help of your partners you've traveled with."

My eyes sparked. Ifan, Sebille and the Red Prince were still alive? He noticed my reaction and raised a finger.

"Before you get the idea that your partners will somehow break in and save you, my humble home is quite secure. No one gets in or out without my explicit permission."

The Doctor motioned his hand to a nearby table. There, I saw my wand, my clothes and my backpack.

"Furthermore, I gave my servants explicit instructions to make sure the pyramid you used to reach my island was taken off and not brought here. They won't be able to poof in any time soon."

 _Smart devil._

He lifted his hand holding the Scroll of Atonement.

"Anyway, the proposal is simple, Godwoken. Find your way into the crypt. Find Lucian's tomb. Summon me. Together we shall kill the Divine and Divinity will be ours."

He looked behind him and another elven nurse picked up a tray from a table and brought it before him. He placed the Scroll of Atonement on the tray but put my amulet into his pocket. He then picked up a vile in his left hand and a knife in his right. The nurse then walked to the table with my gear and placed the scroll on it. The Doctor looked up at me with both items in his hand.

"But of course, this sort of deal will require a Blood Pact. If you aren't aware of how this works, here's the gist: I collect a sample of your blood into this vile and your promise will be sealed. If you break our deal, you will die, and your soul will belong to me. Understand?"

I looked down at the Doctor, not moving my head or giving any sign of acknowledgement at first.

"Just one question," I muttered.

"By all means ask," the Doctor said with enthusiasm.

"What could you possibly want with the powers of the Divine?"

He raised his brows.

"Isn't power reason enough? It is for me."

He then looked up and pondered.

"Although I admit, it would solve… other problems. I… or rather we, could solve so many ills. Perish the thought that anyone should be all generosity, all greed. The coin must be balanced, or it will forever land on the same side. All chance erased; all potential for change gone. That isn't what I want for the realm. I'm certain it isn't what you want, either. If we enter into an agreement, we can create something better. Something worth preserving."

He looked directly at me again with a confident smile this time.

"Yes. That's why. This world has ills and we are here to fix them. We are the cure."

He raised his hands with the vile and knife.

"So. What do you say?"

I should have felt horrified. Horrified for myself and the world at large. This man- nah- this monster wanted to destroy the entire world and create a new one where he would rule it. But if I refused, he would continue to torture me until I would either die or give in and sell my soul to him. But for whatever reason, I burst out laughing. His sinister grin waned.

"You're right," I said with painful laughs. "The Dragon Knights did choose me for a reason. I will do anything to protect people from the cruelty of those who wish to harm them. Even if that means having my body be ripped in half while I scream until my voice is torn apart."

I leered at the Doctor with a sly grin on my face.

"I'm sorry I'm not a cooperative patient, Doctor. But I refuse your request. I dare you… nah… I beg you, do the worse you can do to me."

I had no idea if what I said was genuine or a bluff. But either way, I prepared myself for another round of pain to ripple through me. But to my surprise, the Doctor didn't give the signal to the nurses operating the gears. Instead he smirked.

"I figured as much. Knights, be it human, lizard, dragon or whatever are not so easily persuaded with the threat of pain or death."

He looked to the nurse by his side again. He motioned to the corner of the room where a curtain obscured whatever was behind it. The nurse walked behind it.

"So rather than wasting my precious time inflicting useless pain on you, I believe it is time to move to a different form of persuasion."

His last words sent a chill down my spine.

 _What are you talking about?_

From behind the curtain, the nurse rolled out a smaller restraining table on wheels in front of me. When the nurse walked out of the way, I saw the face of the person who was restrained to the rack.

My eyes widened. My heart stopped. My blood froze.

 _No…_

"MAHALIA!"

My body rattled violently against my restraints.

"NOOOOOOO!" I screamed. "PLEASE! PLEASE LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Trice tried moving but her head was restrained with leather straps along with her arms and legs. My heart pounded in my chest and I panted erratically. The metal of my restraints pulled harder against my rattling joints. The Doctor walked in front of me with his calm demeanor, obscuring my view of Trice's terrified face.

"It's funny, isn't it?" he said. "Earlier you said you believe in helping others and treating them as equals."

He glanced back at Trice.

"Yet here you are allowing yourself to be manipulated by the life of this little specimen. It just shows caring for people leaves you open for weakness."

The nurse came up with a tray and he placed the vile and bottle on it. He then picked up a set of forceps and a scalpel from the tray.

 _Oh no…_

"That is what I'm trying to bring to this world," he said. "No more weakness. Only the strong have the right to live while the weak are quashed. The offer still stands. You make the pact to share Divinity with me and this little specimen will still have her amenities intact. What do you say?"

Fear was the only thing I felt. My eyes started to wet. He had Trice and he was going to hurt her if I wasn't going to cooperate. What was I to do? If I agreed, I would hand Divinity to a demon who would do as much bad to the world as the Voidwoken. And if I agreed and disobeyed, not only would I die, but she would too. What was I to do?

"DON'T DO IT, MAHALIA!" Trice shouted. "I'LL BE BRAVE FOR YOU IF YOU'LL BE BRAVE FOR ME!"

Her words echoed inside my head. Was she willing to endure the pain a demon was going to inflict on her? Even when she was just a little girl?

The Doctor looked behind him at the defiant little girl.

"You'll be brave you say?" the Doctor said. "Well then, I should test your bravery."

 _Nonononononono!_

Trice panted very nervously as the doctor walked around the table. The nurse came over and grabbed Trice's jaw. Her jaw was forced open and the Doctor inserted the forceps into her mouth.

I was hyperventilating now.

"Prepare yourself little one. Because this is really going to hurt."

"I'LL DO IT! DAMN IT, I'LL DO IT!"

The Doctor stopped with the scalpel barely grazing Trice's exposed tongue. He looked up at me.

"Really?"

"Yes," I said. Tears started to flow down my face, and I started to sob. "Yes. I promise to call you when I enter the crypt. Just please don't hurt her."

The Doctor smiled. He let go of Trice's tongue and put both tools onto his tray. He then picked up the knife and vile.

"I'm so happy we could come to an agreement," the Doctor said.

He walked towards me with both objects in hand. It felt like an eternity. During that eternity, all I could think about was how much of a coward I was. I had just risked the fate of Rivellon to save just one little girl. Some Divine I was. I imagined Slane would be extremely disappointed if he saw me right now.

The Doctor stood before me with his sinister smile. He put the vile against the side of my left rib. I closed my eyes, prepared for what was to come. I felt the tip of knife touch my-

"ARGH!"

My eyes shot opened and I gasped as I saw the Doctor drop the knife and vile as a large wolf pounced on him. Both he and the wolf crashed into the table with my wand and the Scroll of Atonement, sending them both flying into the air. My eyes shot over to Trice. The nurse that held her jaw gasped as a dagger appeared from behind her and cut her throat open. To my right, an arrow pierced through the nurse operating the rack through her skull, pinning her head to the side of the rack. Then, a spear whooshed past me and impaled the last nurse through the mouth. When I looked at Trice again, exhausted relief filled me. Sebille cut away the restraints and picked Trice up into her arms. Moments later, the Red Prince and Ifan rushed up to me from the door to my right. They wasted no time breaking the restraints off my arms and legs. When the last restraint was broken, I flopped into the Red Prince's strong arms, preventing me from crashing to the floor. I looked up to see Ifan pick up the Scroll and my wand from the floor before rushing over to me.

"Ifan," I said exhaustedly. "H-how…"

"Later!" He said putting my arm over his shoulder. "Let's get out of here!"

Without another word, both men started carrying me to the door on the left side of the room. Trice was cradled in Sebille arms as she rushed beside us.

"ENOUGH!"

When we were only a few feet from the door, the entire room shook, causing all of us to stumble to ground. I grimaced as I felt my body slam into the floor. Before I could recover, I felt the Red Prince's body laying next to me suddenly slide away violently. When I looked at Ifan, I saw his face before he was violently pulled away too. I panted heavily and rolled my stiff and exhausted body over and looked up. What I saw was truly a sight of pure horror.

A monster stood before me, its height reaching the top of the high ceiling. It was a demon. No, an archdemon. The top half of him was the body of a human. Only it was a human with four arms and had no skin, only red muscle. His face was a horned monster with a sinister smile. But the bottom half was an amalgamation of a dozen large tentacles.

But the true horror was seeing what was in those tentacles. Sebille, Ifan, the Red Prince, Afrit and Trice. They were all wrapped in the demon's tentacles unable to move, try as they might. The burst of relief I had when I saw my friends coming in to save me and Trice was gone.

"Not even your friends could help you in your time of need," the archdemon spoke in the same voice only more sinister. "Shows how foolish you truly are."

Next to me, my wand lay on the ground. I gritted my teeth and took ahold of it. With all my strength, I got to my feet with my wand at the ready.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the doctor said. The tips of the tentacles tightened around everyone's necks. I froze.

"Even if you no longer cared about the fate of these pitiful mortals, you still lack the strength to fight me alone."

He held up one of his four hands. From his fingers dangled my amulet. Seeing it made me realize how empty my chest felt without it. I had no strength. No power. No Source. How could I save my friends?

"Now, this'll be the last time I make you this offer," the demon said. "Make the pact. Or see every one of your friends d-"

Suddenly, from behind the demon, something jumped out and snatched the amulet right out of the Doctor's hand.

I gasped. It was Junior!

The Doctor lifted one of his free tentacles to catch the little dragon. But with a belch of fire, Junior launched the amulet out of his maw straight at me. I lifted my hand up as the amulet closed the distance. But just as my fingers closed around the amulet, it shattered.

For the smallest fraction of a second, my hope vanished again. But the instant after, every shard of my amulet, and all three of the gems, were absorbed into my palm.

 _What the-?_

In an instant that felt like an eternity, I felt the power of all three gems shoot up my arm. It passed my shoulder and flowed into my heart. Within, the elements swirled faster than they ever did. I felt something build in my chest. Something big. Something that wanted to get out. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened my mouth.

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWW!"

I gasped for a breath and opened my eyes. Ifan, Sebille, The Red Prince, Trice, Afrit, Junior. They were all freed. The archdemon was leaned up against the wall disoriented. When he got his bearings, his eyes widened when he looked at me. His smile turned into a frown. He looked… afraid.

It was then I felt the power in my heart spreading to every facet of my body. All the exhaustion. All the fear. All the pain. All of it was gone. Replaced with unimaginable strength and fury. No… it wasn't fury. It was something more.

Wrath.

Pure wrath to the monster who threatened to destroy the world. Threatened to kill my friends. Threatened to kill my lover. Threatened to kill Trice. I gritted my teeth and tightened my fists. I took a stance, ready to leap towards my enemy. In my mind, nothing mattered to me but to see this monster be destroyed. I opened my maw and roared.

"A-DRA-MAH-LIHHHHHHK!"

What happened next was beyond anything I could have anticipated.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** To be continued…


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

 **Preface:** Accompanying Music: Merchant Prince – Thomas Bergersen.

* * *

I felt myself tumble through the air, hearing crumbling walls and shattering glass all around me. I felt my body slam into thick stone pavement and rolled across it. When the rolling stopped, I felt my bearings return to me. I cracked my eyes open. I saw I was on my side with my head resting on the stone floor of the courtyard of what I assumed to be the Doctor's House. Had I broken through the wall into the outside?

My eyes wandered up to see Adramahlihk laying on the ground in the center of the courtyard. But something seemed off. When I first saw the demon's true form, he was over two stories tall, nearly three. Nearby, I saw several civilians running away across a bridge while half a dozen paladins stood by the entrance gate. They were smaller compared to the archdemon. But from where I was, I felt like I was the same size as Adramahlihk.

 _What the…?_

When I lifted my head from the ground, I felt something odd. My head, my eyes, my snout, my mouth, my tongue, my throat. They all felt different. My head felt heavier and I felt stronger neck muscles lift my head up. When I moved my arm, it felt different too. My arms and legs felt thicker, coated with large muscles that lifted a heavier body. A heavier body that was shaped differently. Instead of standing on two legs, I was standing on all four of my stronger appendages. I felt a large heartbeat inside of my body pumping massive quantities of blood through my body. I felt two massive lungs take in massive breathes that vibrated the air around me. My tail felt heavier too. And on my back, I could feel a set of wings far heavier, far wider and far stronger than the ones I had before. A realization sparked into my head. I gasped. I turned my head around to look upon myself. I couldn't believe it.

I was a dragon.

A dragon with cornflower scales and an orange frill around the back of my head. How did this happen? But before I could ponder it, I heard the rattle of crumbling stone. I turned my head around to see Adramahlihk getting himself up from the ground. When his glowing orange eyes came across me, they widened. He was surprised. And seeing his surprise caused a stir in my new body. I felt the elements of fire, ice and lightning swirl in my massive heart, causing pure power to course through every facet of my draconic form. With that power, I felt a sense of familiarity enter my mind. In an instant, I knew how my body functioned and I could move it with the ease and precision of an adult dragon.

My eyes narrowed on the demon. I bent my legs in the way of a predator ready to pounce on their pray. All four of my massive claws dig into the ground. I growled, revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth. I felt the wrath of a dragon course throughout my body. I inhaled a massive breath and opened my wings behind me.

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWW!"

Adramahlihk took his stance with his dozen tentacles below his waste. His sadistic smile returned. Even so, I could tell he was hiding his surprise and uncertainty.

"I have the power of millions of mortal souls," he said. "What hope do you have against me?"

My reply was a large ball of fire that I launched from my mouth. It landed in the middle of his chest. He was staggered, but not severely hurt. I was going to need to do a lot more to bring him down.

"So be it then," the demon said. He brought his four hands up in a formation. He was going to cast a spell. The demon punched the air in front of him, launched fireballs two at a time at me. I raised my wings in front of me. I couldn't see what happened, but I felt at least two dozen fireballs impact my makeshift shield. When the barrage finished, my wings were undamaged. I pulled my wings back and unleashed a barrage of ice at my opponent. Multiple shards of ice were launched from my mouth and pelted the demon. The ice didn't injure him, but it dismayed him long enough for me to leap towards him. He raised his tentacles and caught me before I tackled him. But I managed to swipe my left claw against his skinless torso. He groaned in pain. I tried striking again, but Adramahlihk took his tentacles and threw me away from him. My claws dug into the ground, allowing me to skid to a stop. Adramahlihk regained his composure with the large claw mark on his chest. His eyes narrowed on me.

"Lucky break," Adramahlihk said. I could sense his irritation growing. "You won't be lucky next time."

He held his hands by his sides. From the ground to his left and right, glowing portals appeared. From them, dozens of demons emerged. Most were small and doglike while others were larger and had faces that were more teeth than anything else. They all charged towards me. I inhaled deeply and unleashed my fire breath. I swiveled my head from left to right, engulfing the bulk of the demons in flames. Those that managed to get through though clung themselves to the side of my torso. My new dragon scales were thicker than lizard scales. But I felt the demons' claws and teeth shredding away at the surface of my scales. Thinking quickly, I rolled my body over, crushing all the clinging demons into the ground. But Adramahlihk's minions were the distraction. When I came out of my roll, an enormous fireball flew towards me. Before I could block it, the ball collided with my face. I stumbled backwards feeling the blast smolder the scales around my face. I squinted my eyes open to see a blur. By the time they were able to focus again, Adramahlihk was already on me. He brought his tentacles up and wrapped them around my mouth and throat along with my front arms. I tried to move my arms, but his tentacles were stronger this time.

"You should never get in a fight with your doctor," the demon smirked.

The tentacles around my throat and mouth tightened as he brought his four hands up radiating black energy towards my face. I didn't know what spell he had in mind for me, but I knew it wasn't going to be pleasant. An idea popped into my head. I tucked my lower body to the left. I whipped my tail around and wrapped it around Adramahlihk's neck. With my hind legs no longer supporting my weight, and my tail wrapped around Adramahlihk's neck, he was pulled down over me as I fell onto my back. His grip on my throat and mouth slackened as I threw him over me with my tail. He landed onto the ground on his back and I rolled on top of him. With my mouth and throat free, I unleashed a thunderous roar on top of demon. Adramahlihk groaned as the cloud of lightning engulfed him. He shot his tentacles up, swatting my mouth and body away. I stumbled backwards, skidding to a halt in the center of the courtyard again. The demon got up, panting hard and gritting his teeth. He was angry.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" he shouted in an unearthly screech. "YOU'RE EXISTENCE ENDS THIS DAY!"

He raised his arms up, ready to unleash literal hell on me. But I was already ahead of him. I opened my wings and leapt into the air as an apocalyptic eruption of fire engulfed the entire courtyard below me. Once in the air, I felt the true strength of my new wings in action. I could stay in the air indefinitely. When I looked down at the enraged demon, he threw his arms back and sent another barrage of fireballs at me. With a stoke of my wings, I dashed left and dodged them. The feeling of ease and control of my new body was so invigorating. I responded to the demon's attack with a bolt of lightning from my mouth. It hit him square in the head. This enraged him even further, causing him to send another barrage at me. But like with Alexander, his anger made him lose concentration. I kept circling the demon, dodging his attacks with ease while landing critical hits on him in between.

"FILTHY MORTAL! YOU. WILL. DIE!"

He raised his arms, ready to unleash an apocalyptic barrage of fire from the sky like Vredeman did. But in his anger, he left himself vulnerable. I leaned forward and dove straight at the demon. I crashed into him, breaking his spell before it was cast. We tumbled together across the yard until we came out of it face-to-face in a gridlock. Adramahlihk tried holding me back with his tentacles again. But before he could get one of his appendages around my mouth, I opened it and caught the tentacle within my jaw. I felt my razor-sharp teeth dig into the appendage, blood spewing from the wounds into my mouth and onto my face. I bit down harder and pulled my head back as Adramahlihk tried to pry me away. With a final pull, the tentacle was torn off.

The demon screeched in pain as I spat the tentacle out of my mouth. I raised my left claw and swiped against the demon's chest. Another chunk of muscle and blood was sent into the air. Adramahlihk fought back with his two right hands landing a double punch across the side of the face. The hit disoriented me for a second, but I recovered just in time to see another tentacle come my way. I opened my mouth and caught it in my teeth. Like last time, I bit down hard and twisted my neck around until the tentacle was ripped off. When I spat that one out, I inhaled and unleashed a massive stream of fire straight into the screaming demon.

The two of us continued trading blows with each other. The blows Adramahlihk inflicted on me weren't powerful enough whereas mine severely wounded him. I continued to claw at his chest and ripped more of his tentacles apart. With every strike and dismemberment, the demon's strength diminished. After I tore apart six of his twelve tentacles, I launched myself forward and dug my teeth into one of his four arms now. Without enough strength remaining, Adramahlihk could do nothing as I pulled the arm right out of its socket. The blood gushed from the wound as the demon wailed in pain. Before he could recover, I spat out the severed arm and swung my tail around. It hit Adramahlihk right in the jaw, causing his entire body to twist around. Without enough strength left, and half of his tentacles severed, Adramahlihk fell to the ground. He put his remaining arms onto the ground, trying to pick himself up. But I pounced on him before he could. I pinned him underneath my claws face down. He squirmed feebly under me, unable to escape. He tried wrapping his remaining tentacles around my hind legs and torso, but he had no strength to do anything with them. He was helpless.

He turned his horned head around to glance at me out of the corner of his orange eye. He groaned loudly and gritted his teeth. He wanted to be angry, but he was too tired to do so. I narrowed my eyes and growled through my teeth. Below my claws was a horrible monster who manipulated and captured millions of innocent souls to be used for his personal gain. Now, I was the predator and he was my prey. He was not getting away. He was going to pay for the suffering he had inflicted on the innocent and I was to carry out his execution.

I opened my maw and my voice boomed louder and mightier than ever before.

"It is my duty to protect the innocent from the cruelty of those who wish to harm them!"

I shot my head down and opened my mouth wide open. I chomped down hard onto Adramahlihk's head. I felt my razor-sharp teeth plunge into his neck. His unearthly scream was muffled within the confines of my mouth. His entire body shook erratically and feebly under me, unable to do anything. I bit down harder and pulled my head back. I felt the fulcrum of the demon's neck slowly giving way as muscle and tendons of his neck slowly ripped apart.

With every tear, I felt something pulsing from the demon's body. Like a wad energy was built up in his body waiting to be released. I pressed my claws into the demon's shoulders and pulled my head back harder. His body flailed helplessly on the ground and his screams grew more unearthly. I felt the built-up energy grow larger, eager to bust out of the demonic creature.

 _Now!_

With a final crunch of my jaw, the demon's muffled scream cut to silence as his head was separated from his body. All I could remember afterwards was my body engulfed in the exploding energy before my consciousness faded to oblivion.

* * *

I stood on a stone platform in my draconic form. I looked up to see no ceiling over me. Nor was there a black sky of stars and moon or blue sky of clouds and sun. Only darkness stretching to eternity. When I looked down, I saw myself overlooking a sea of candles stretching out over a stone floor to the endless beyond. There had to be thousands of them. Millions.

When I looked closer at the sea of candles, I heard something. It was voices. Voices of people. They all sounded in pain. A feeling washed over me. A feeling I had when I was at Bloodmoon Island. I realized what this was. This was the collection of souls Adramahlihk had within him. Each flame contained a soul. And each soul gave Adramahlihk his strength.

Seeing this gave me unimaginable amounts of wrath. These people would not suffer anymore. Without hesitation, on pure instinct, I unleashed a breath of fire into the nearest cluster of candles below me. Like fire to oil, the fire engulfed the cluster of candles. The fire spread to the next cluster. Then jumped to the next. And the next. And the next. The flames stretched out uncontrollably to every cluster of candles. Soon, the entire sea, from the base of where I stood to the endless beyond, was a sea of flames. It continued to burn until the entire ocean of fire faded down to embers. When the last of my dragon fire was extinguished, all the candles were gone. But the millions of small flames containing the souls of the victims still burned midair where the candles used to be.

Every small flame, both near and afar, floated up to my eye level. All I could do was look out to the dazzling display of glowing specks that reached out to the far horizon. One of the flames whizzed towards me and stopped right before my snout. In a flash of green light, the flame transformed into a floating ghostly form of an elf. She opened her eyes and smiled at me.

"You ended my suffering," she said in a grateful and familiar voice. My eyes widened.

"Eleanessa?" I said in my draconic voice. The ghost nodded gratefully. She reached out and placed her ghostly hand on the tip of my snout. Though she was a ghost, I could feel the faint warmth of a hand against my scales.

"The demon is dead. I am no longer his slave. And neither are the rest of these souls. We are free thanks to you. Thank you, Mahalia."

One of the flames floating in the distance flickered. From it, I heard the voice of a man repeat Eleanessa's words.

"Thank you, Mahalia."

The flame floated towards me. It started to circle around my neck near my shoulders like a buzzing bee. Only I didn't feel a painful sting. Instead, I felt the warmth of the flame give me a grateful and soothing warmth. Another flame flickered and another voice of a women repeated the words.

"Thank you, Mahalia."

It flew to me and joined the first flame. Soon, flame after flame flickered and repeated the words before flying towards me. I felt the flames circle around my neck, my head, my arms, my torso, my hind legs and my tail. Thousands of flames swarmed around me with more coming in. My eyes rested on Eleanessa who simply smiled at me. Soon, I felt the warmth of the flames overwhelming me. The senses of my draconic body faded away as my vision slowly faded to white. I heard Eleanessa speak to me a final time.

"Fare you well, Dragon Knight. Fare you well."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** "Wow are you a dragon? You look like a dragon, but… where are your wings?" Had the idea since chapter 10. Stick around because the next chapter is coming out soon. 😉


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

"Mahalia!"

The sound of my name brought my consciousness back to reality. I felt myself in a body. But not my draconic body. I was in my lizard body again. I felt myself on my back in a bed of rubble. I cracked my eyes open and slowly felt my vision coming into focus. I saw the outline of someone standing over me.

"I-Ifan?"

Ifan leaned to my right and picked up a large piece of rubble off my arm. He picked up several more pieces off me before taking my hand. He hoisted me up, the rest of the rubble around me moved away as my body was pulled out of it. He pulled me to my feet and put my arm over his shoulder. He carried me over the pile of rubble onto the flat stone ground of the courtyard where Sebille and the Red Prince were. I noticed the yard was blemished by long claw marks. I felt Ifan pull my hand off his shoulder allowing me to stand on my own.

"Mahalia, are you-"

Ifan didn't finish his sentence. When I looked over at him, his eyes were wide and looking down at my body. When I looked down, my eyes widened too. I was stripped naked the last time I was in my lizard form. But now, I was clad in silver armor. Silver armor that was like the one Slane wore when he changed into his lizard form. I looked up at Sebille and the Red Prince and they were just as flabbergasted as Ifan and I.

When I moved my body around to observe my new apparel, the armor didn't feel as heavy as it looked. The armor felt like it was a part of me. Like a second skin over my scales. When I brought up my gauntlets to inspect them, the metal suddenly peeled away to reveal my bare hands. When I looked at my other gauntlet, it did the same. Then, with a thought, the metal of the armor creeped back onto my hands like liquid metal filling into a mold. It seemed I could peel the armor away from my body at will. When I looked at my hip, my wand was in a new holster. And behind me, a new shield was strapped to my back. It was made of the same material as my armor.

"Are you okay?" Ifan asked me.

When I took a moment to evaluate the state of my body under my new armor, I was surprised yet again.

"I… feel great," I said.

Great was an understatement. All the exhaustion, aches, and pain I had after I was freed from the torture rack were gone. Instead, I felt the elements in my heart swirling and invigorating my body with even more power than I felt before.

Before I could say anything else, I heard a yip. I looked up to see a little red dragon scampering across the ground and leap into the air. I brought my hands up and the gauntlets peeled away allowing me to catch Junior in my bare hands. He nuzzled his nose into my snout for a moment before he looked into my eyes. I glanced down at my armor for a moment and remembered what happened in the chamber.

"You did this?" I asked the baby dragon. Junior replied with a yip and licked the tip of my snout. I looked up at the Red Prince. A grin slowly grew on his face.

"Pure dragon fire must have unlocked the full capabilities of Slane's gift," he said.

I looked down at the base of my neck. My amulet was not there. Instead of wearing my amulet on my neck, I felt like my amulet was inside my heart. Never to be separated from myself ever again. Junior gave me a final nuzzle with his snout before hopping out of my hands back to his father. I turned my attention to Sebille. Her face of awe had transformed to one of admiration topped with her signature smirk.

"I kept saying Slane gave you that gift for a reason," she said. "And it seems I was proven right yet again…"

She then bowed before me.

"…Dragon Knight."

Her words echoed in my head. My eyes shot over to Ifan. His mouth hung open, unable to say anything. Instead, he shifted his gaze around at the wreaked courtyard and the large house I crashed through. Eventually, his eyes locked onto the remains of a large monster.

 _Adramahlihk…_

The skinless and mangled corpse of the demon lay shriveled to black with his head missing. Seeing the corpse reminded me of the moment I saw the spirit of Eleanessa. I'd slain a powerful archdemon and freed the souls of millions of people all around Rivellon.

"MAHALIA!"

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard a voice of a little girl shout my name. My eyes shot up to see Trice running across the courtyard right at me. All my thoughts about Dragon Knights and freed souls were cast aside.

"Trice!" I dashed past the others. I kneeled and Trice ran straight to me. She clasped herself to me while I held her tighter than I ever have before.

"Oh Trice!" I mumbled. "Oh Trice, oh Trice."

I felt tears well in my eyes as I kept holding onto her. I never wanted to let her go. I felt Ifan, Sebille and the Red Prince walk up beside me. I felt them put some reassuring hands on both me and Trice. I kept holding onto Trice until she mumbled into my shoulder.

"Mahalia…"

I reluctantly loosened my hold on her. She took a step back, but I kept my hands on her shoulders. She looked up at the others before she looked back at me. Her face was smoldered with tears, but she didn't seem sad.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. "Are you hurt?"

"No," Trice shook her head. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Okay."

I took several deep breaths and told myself over and over that trice was okay. When I managed to convince myself that she was safe and unhurt, I looked over at Ifan kneeling next to me.

"How did you find me?" I asked him.

Just then, Afrit walked up between him and me. He rubbed his head against my shoulder and yipped. When he finished, Afrit walked past me to Trice. Trice pet him on the head and like he did when they first met, Afrit gave Trice a big lick on the face, making her giggle. When I looked back at Ifan, he was holding the blue pyramid in his hand.

"Long story short," he said. "Afrit tracked you and Junior snuck into the basement through a hole with the pyramid."

I looked over at Junior resting in his father's arms. He yipped gleefully and his father replied by nuzzling his snout into his son's neck. I looked at Sebille and Ifan.

"Well I'm happy you managed to get here in time before…"

I couldn't finish my sentence when the image of myself accepting to do what Adramahlihk wanted entered my head. But before I could think about it further, I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I looked up to see Sebille looking at me with determined eyes.

"Don't dwell on what could have happened," she said. "The important thing is we got you out of there before it got ugly because you have friends to help you out whenever you're in a bad situation."

A part of myself wanted to linger on the terrible possibility of me making the pact and forced to give Divinity to a demon or have my soul be sworn to him. But Sebille was right. Everyone around me: Ifan, the Red Prince, Sebille, Afrit and Junior. They saved me and Trice while giving me the power to fight Adramahlihk and end his reign of terror forever. I gave a reassured grin to Sebille and nodded my head. She smirked showing me she believed me.

"Is it over?"

I looked behind me to see Cork and his group of paladins walking towards me from the main gate. Not only that, but I saw a gathering of people by the gate while a pair of paladins held them back. I got to my feet as Cork stood before me looking at my new armor.

"Now you defiantly look like a Paladin," he remarked.

"I… guess so," I said. "Dragon Knights share similar views with the Paladins."

"Dragon Knight?" Cork raised a brow. He looked back at the headless corpse of Adramahlihk. "So you were that dragon who slayed the monster?"

I looked back at Trice. Her eyes were wide with awe awaiting my answer. I smiled and looked at Cork again.

"Yes. Changing between forms is our greatest gift."

The Paladins behind Cork looked at each other. Meanwhile, I felt Trice's hands clasp my left gauntlet. I looked down to see her with a joyful smile on her face. Seeing her like this eased my fear from seeing her strapped to the bed.

"I guess your dream about me being a dragon came true, didn't it?" I said.

Trice's eye widened and her smile grew bigger. But before she could respond with glee, a whirl of energy appeared behind Cork and his men. Everyone turned their attention to it just as the energy formed into a portal. And from the portal, several familiar faces emerged.

"There you are," Malady said. "A dragon brawling with an archdemon in the middle of a city is hard not to notice."

Along with Malady was Gareth, Tarquin, Almira, Mihaliy, Del, Han and-

"MAHALIA! TRICE!"

Paulie and Sandy rushed past Malady. Cork stepped to the side allowing the children to come in for a group hug with me and Trice. I felt so much relief wash over me seeing the boys were okay and safely in my arms again. When the hug was finished, Malady and the group walked past the paladins and stood before me. I stood up and looked directly at Malady.

"What happened up there?" I asked her. "How did Adramahlihk capture Trice?"

"After you left, several demons attacked us," Del stepped in. "We managed to hold them off but one of them managed to grab Trice."

"Hopefully, you won't put this little incident of your evaluation of my babysitting capabilities," Malady said.

My eyes darted to the children. There were many emotions in me. Some emotions wanted me to burst out and shout at Malady for not protecting the children. But the other emotions told me she and the others succeeded in protecting the boys.

"No," I said. "What's done is done. We need to move on."

"My thoughts exactly," Malady said with a grin. "Now that your demon slaying detour is over, did you find out where Dallis is?"

Ifan walked up beside me. He pulled out the Scroll of Atonement from his bag, still intact thankfully. Cork stepped forward and pulled out the Source Amulet from his pocket and handed it to Ifan. He must have held on to it for safe keeping while Ifan and the others went in to rescue me. Ifan nodded his gratitude and Cork stepped back.

"We did," Ifan said with both items in his hands. "We just need to head to the cathedral and use these to gain entry into Lucian's crypt."

Malady's eyes widened as well as Gareth's.

"Of course," Gareth said stroking his mustache. "His remains still brim with power."

"Then we'd no time to lose then," Malady said looking to the large building on the horizon. "Off to the cathedral."

"Uh… not quite yet."

I turned around to see Sebille holding her hand up. She looked over at me with a rather piacular look in her eyes. To my surprise, both Ifan and the Red Prince had the same look as her.

"What is it?" I asked them.

Sebille looked over at Cork. Cork nodded and glanced behind him at the front gate. Cork let out a loud whistle. I saw the two Paladins holding the people back moved aside letting a handful of people walk past them. Before I could make out who the people were, Sebille took my hand. When I turned my head around to face her, she placed something into my palm. When she moved her hand away, I saw what it was.

It was my engagement ring. The same ring I threw away after Sadha was kidnapped. I looked up at Sebille with my mouth hung open.

"I figured I could sell it later since you no longer wanted it," Sebille said. "But you're going to need it now."

She, along with Ifan and the Red Prince, looked at something behind me. When I turned around, my eyes widened. My heart stopped. Two lizards stood before me. One a woman with bright cornflower skin and lavender eyes. The other a man with turquoise scales and sapphire eyes.

"Mahalia?"

My mouth hung open. I was breathless. How was this possible?

"Mom? Dad?"

My parents. They were here. In Arx. My mother's eyes welled with tears. My father exhaled as his lips twitched.

"Oh Mahalia!" Mother said. Both of my parents lurched forward, and I did too. I brought my arms around them and held them tightly as they hugged me back. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt my emotions in me go awry.

"Mahalia," my mother sobbed. "Mahalia, I can't b-believe-"

At that moment, I was back at Fort Joy. All I could think about was how worried sick my family was for me. I wanted to go home so badly. But here they were. In my arms and shedding tears because their daughter was alive. I was so happy see them here.

"Mother…" I said. "F-Father… I… how…?"

I panted and my eyes expelled two tears. I kept holding on to them tight until we reluctantly broke our embrace. They stood before me looking at my armor. No doubt they had questions, but so did I.

"W-what are you doing here?" I asked them.

My father took a deep breath and answered.

"When we heard of your abduction by the Magisters, we traveled here to negotiate your release."

My brows shot up.

"You traveled all the way from the Empire?" I asked. "Even after the Divine Order declared war on the Empire?"

"We were halfway to Arx before the declaration was made," mother said. "Thankfully, the Paladins overthrew the Divine Order and granted us entry into the city before the Voidwoken attacked."

Thinking about what could have gone wrong for them gave me horrible feelings. But those feelings passed when I moved on to the next question.

"How did you find me?"

"We were in the market district when an attack happened," Father said. He looked behind me at my companions. "Then that human started shouting your name."

I looked back at Ifan. He puckered his lips and shrugged. When I turned around to look at my parents again, there was someone behind them. They moved aside to reveal a third lizard. A lizard with scales of the color of wine: dark and red. His attire was violet satin silk laced with golden streams. My breath was caught in my throat and my heart stopped. I couldn't believe it.

"B-Brell?"

His bright yellow eyes peered into me.

"Mahalia," Brell said.

He took a step forward, presumably to embrace me like my parents. But he stopped himself when he looked down at my armor.

"What happened to you?" he asked me.

From the way he talked, I could tell he was suspicious about something. I felt the ring that Sebille returned to me weight heavier in my hand. Malady and the remaining crew of the Lady Vengeance joined my companions behind me. My mother and father stood next to Brell waiting for my answer.

What was I going to say? After everything that happened to me and all the choices I made about my future. What was I to do? I took a breath and answered.

"I've been on an adventure to save the world."

My parents looked at each other with concern and confusion. Brell raised his brows.

"What are you talking about?" Brell said. He glanced at my companions and the crew. "Who are these people? How do they know you?"

"I escaped Fort Joy with them," I replied.

"You escaped Fort Joy?" Mother said. I nodded.

"If you escaped Fort Joy, why didn't you go home right away?" Brell said. "My father would surely send me a war owl to tell me you were okay."

I sighed. A part of myself was terrified seeing my former betrothed standing before me after I chose to leave him behind without telling him yet. But the rest of me, the part that ripped the head off an archdemon, felt unafraid. I realized this was the moment I needed to tell them the truth.

"After I escaped the fort and met these people, I wanted so badly to come home. But…"

"But what?" Brell asked me.

I looked behind me at my companions and motioned them. All three of them walked up beside me, Ifan on my left and Sebille on my right with the Red Prince next to her.

"But when we were planning on getting off the island itself, we discovered something about ourselves. We're… Godwoken."

A silence fell over all of us. My parents looked at each other with concern and disbelief while Brell only stared at me. I could tell from the look in his eye he was having a hard time believing what I said. Eventually, my father broke the silence.

"You mean you were chosen by the gods to take Lucian's place as the new Divine?"

It wasn't the full truth, but it was too complicated to explain now.

"I wasn't the only one," I looked at my companions beside me. "Rhalic and Tir-Cendelius chose their champions while Zorl-stissa chose me and the Red Prince."

All three of my companions nodded to my parents and Brell.

"And you chose to risk your life and go through with this… quest?" mother asked. I could tell she was genuinely concerned, as a mother naturally would be for their child. I nodded.

"The Voidwoken are going to destroy our world. When we discovered we were godwoken, I knew I needed to do something about it. So, I stuck with my companions after we escaped the island."

Before anyone could reply, Malady appeared next to my parents. She wore her charming smile.

"And might I say your daughter is quite the candidate for the Divine," she said. "You ought to be proud of her."

My parents exchanged unsure glances with each other and me. Then Brell walked up to Malady.

"Are you saying Mahalia is the one who's going to be the Divine?" Brell said.

"Yes," I said. Brell turned around to look at me. "Only one of us could become Divine. And in the end, we decided I should be the one."

Brell's eyes shifted between me, Malady, and my companions. He walked up and stood in front of me. I could sense his unease hearing his betrothed was going to leave him for something else.

"Why?" he asked. "Why do you have to be the Divine? Why not anyone else?"

I was about to answer but Sebille gave one before I could.

"Because she's a hero."

Brell's eyes moved to Sebille. Instead of her sly smile she usually wore, she wore a proud smile speaking in my name.

"She's the most benevolent and good-natured person in all of Rivellon. Whenever there were people in need, she was the first person to jump into the fire to help them. She's the perfect choice to have the power."

Brell only stared at Sebille. From where I stood, I could feel Brell's disbelief coursing through him.

"I can attest to her being a hero," the Red Prince said. Brell turned his attention to him. "It's the reason she's a Dragon Knight after all."

Brell's eyes widened and I heard my parents gasp behind him. They turned their heads around to the corpse of Adramahlihk. All three of them looked back at me in awe and a healthy dose of concern.

"You mean… you were that dragon?" Brell asked me.

I glanced at my parents first then at my new armor. I nodded.

"Before we escaped the island, I freed a Dragon Knight from the control of a witch. In return, he gave me a gift that gave me great power."

I looked over at the Red Prince where Junior lay nestled in his arms.

"Along the way, I unlocked more power. And thanks to the Red Prince's son, he unlocked the final power within it. So, I'm a Dragon Knight and a godwoken now."

All Brell could do was stare at me in silence. His breathing became far more tense. I could feel his body becoming stiffer. I knew that he was in disbelief from what he heard. His gaze shifted between me and my companions. But I noticed his gaze lingered on Ifan longer than the others. I knew right away he was suspicious. I prepared myself for how I was going to handle this. Brell's eyes narrowed and his mouth turned into a frown.

"Are you doing this to get away from me?" he asked me sternly.

I could feel his anger growing. But I remained calm when I replied.

"When you go on an adventure far from home, it changes you."

"Don't play coy!" Brell raised his finger at me. His pent-up anger now flowed out onto me. "Answer my question! Did you choose to go through with this because you want to get away from me?!"

I knew this was going to get ugly. Even so, I kept calm. I wasn't afraid of him.

"If you want a simple answer, no. I'm not."

Brell's eyes were narrow slits and his back lips pulled away to reveal his gritted teeth. His sharp gaze moved to my left hand. When his enraged gaze returned my eyes, I knew that I shouldn't hide anything anymore. I brought it up and open my fingers. When his eyes lay on the ring, it was all that was needed to for him to snap.

"YOU LYING BI-!"

As fast as Brell launched himself at me, he stopped.

"You lay a finger on her, and you'll never use your voice to brag about your riches ever again."

Ifan stood before Brell with a knife held to his throat. Ifan's free hand clasped Brell's right wrist, holding him in place. Brell croaked with his head propped up from the blade pressed against his throat. Brell glimpsed at Ifan and me from the bottom of his eyes.

"I-Is this how you repay me?" he croaked angrily. "You accept my proposal only to betray me and offer yourself to this filth?!"

Ifan adjusted his grip on Brell's wrist and the knife against his throat.

"If this is how you treated her back home, she had the right to betray you" Ifan said darkly.

I walked next to Ifan and placed my hand on his shoulder. He looked at me from the corner of his narrow eye without moving his head.

"This is something I need to handle myself, Ifan," I said. "Don't worry, I can handle him."

I knew Ifan could beat the snot out of Brell if given the opportunity. But I really didn't want it to come to that. Ifan's eyes shifted between Brell and me for several seconds. Eventually, he replied.

"Fine. But if he makes another move, I won't hesitate."

In a fluid motion, Ifan let go of Brell's wrist and withdrew the blade from his throat. Brell gasped and started rubbing his throat. Ifan stepped away to the left side. He pulled his crossbow from his shoulder and aimed it at Brell from his hip. It wasn't how I wanted to have this be handled, but it was going to have to do.

I turned my attention back to Brell standing before me. He finished rubbing his throat and locked a leer at me. It was only me and him now. I composed myself and began my explanation.

"I know it's not fair Brell. But the truth is I'm not the same obedient girl I was when you proposed to me. I've seen what it's really like in the world. I've seen the Voidwoken rip people apart without remorse. I've seen the horrible things the Divine Order have done to the Sourcerers at Fort Joy."

I motioned my hand to my right at Sebille.

"I've heard the tragic story of a person who was forced to kill her own people thanks to the scar our kin take pride in calling our own."

I paused for a moment, glancing at the corpse of Adramahlihk.

"After everything else I've experienced on my adventure; I've come to realize things about myself I was too naive or scared to admit."

Brell tilted his head. His eyes narrowed. This was going to be difficult to say and I had a feeling it might cause him to snap again. But I needed to tell him the truth.

"When I came back from the academy, you weren't you anymore. You changed so much from what my best friend used to be. It was like you transformed into your father while my friend vanished. All you cared about was your business ventures and showing me off at your parties like I was your property."

"No!" Brell pointed at me. I heard Ifan's crossbow clatter as his finger tightened on the release. But I kept my eyes on Brell as he continued.

"That's not fair. You never told me I wasn't making you happy."

I glanced at my parents. As I expected, they were mesmerized in disbelief from what I said. I knew they were going to be upset. But I wasn't afraid. I was going to say what I needed to say. I returned my gaze to Brell.

"That's because I was too scared about what would happen if I didn't do what I was told. Now you've proven me I was right. You would have burst out at me like you constantly did to your servants. So, I kept silent and didn't do anything to make you angry. Well, I'm not afraid anymore. I need to speak the truth."

Brell stared at me in silence. His anger exuded out of him in droves. If it weren't for Ifan training his crossbow on him, I had a feeling he would throw himself onto me and try to hurt me. The feeling caused anger to build in my body. I felt like I could continue and get angrier to tell him to back off once and for all. But a small splinter of myself told me that wouldn't solve anything. It would just make things worse. I took a moment to take a deep breath. I took a step closer to Brell. I felt his tense body course with anger, ready to explode at any moment. But I kept myself from getting angrier.

"I'm sorry, Brell," I said in a calm voice. "I really don't want to fight with you. I know fate has put a foil into what was planned. But I can't go back to how things were."

I placed my hand on the chest piece of my armor.

"When I rescued the Dragon Knight, he gave me this gift because he saw something in me. Something that's telling me I need to be more than just a diplomate for the Empire. More than a wife just for the sake of improving family legacy."

I lowered my hand from my chest.

"I helped three children escape the horrors of Fort Joy. I rescued a captive elf from mercenaries. I saved a family from being executed by the Divine Order. I freed my friend from slavery. I stopped the Black Ring from unleashing Deathfog on this entire city. And now, I killed a vile archdemon and freed the souls of millions across Rivellon. During all of that, it felt… right. Like this was my calling all along. To be a Dragon Knight."

Brell opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Like something was holding back his words. Unable to say anything, he grunted and dipped his head and tightened his fists in frustration. I felt both of us were on a tightrope now. At any moment, this conversation could take a better or worse turn. I carefully thought about what I was going to say next.

"I don't hate you, Brell. I want you to believe that, I really do. I believe that you can still be a good man. We aren't meant to be together like what was planned, but we can still be friends like we used to be."

I held my hand up with ring resting in the center of my palm.

"Can we still be friends, Brell?"

Brell looked down at the ring. He stared at it for a long time. He panted unevenly. I could feel his frustration rocking his body back and forth like a ship caught in the waves of the high seas. He dipped his head again and closed his eyes. His body tensed and he tightened his fists hard. I had a horrible feeling in my gut he was going to burst and Ifan would have no choice but to put an arrow into his heart.

But just as the horrible thought entered my mind, Brell let out a sigh. In an instant, his fingers hung freely, and his body relaxed. The anger built up inside of him seemed to deflate out of him. When he lifted his head, his eyes no longer carried anger or jealousy. Instead, I could see… remorse?

"That human," he said glancing at Ifan. "Does he make you happy?"

The question, and the way he asked it, caught me off guard. In an instant, my former betrothed who threatened to hurt me his anger had disappeared. Instead, I was talking to someone I never knew before. Not even when I was younger. I did my best to choose my words wisely.

"Ifan was there for me every step of the way. He gave me the confidence to keep going despite how bleak things got for me. Even when I was on the ground crying, he gave me the strength to keep going."

I lifted my right hand up. The metal of the gauntlet pealed back to expose my bare hand. Slowly, I reached my hand out to him. He did not move anything but his eyes as they tracked my hand. When my fingers grazed his cheek, I looked deep into his eyes and spoke with all the truth I could muster.

"But I did not choose him just to spite you. I swear it."

Brell looked at me for a long time. Then he took a step back, just out of my reach. He lifted his hands up and looked down at them. His eyes looked over his purple attire and the jewelry on his hand, as if realizing what he was wearing for the first time. When he looked up at me again, his mouth was hung open with his lips twitching. When I looked at his eyes, I was shocked to see they were starting to wet. Before I could react, Brell threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around me.

"Oh, Mahalia. I-I'm s-so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

He buried his face into my shoulder and started to sob. His legs gave way, causing both of us to fall to our knees. I brought my hands around him while I rested my head on his shoulder. I felt his body tremble as he continued to mumble into my shoulder.

"How could I be s-so stupid? How c-could I let this happen t-to me? How? H-how did…?"

"It's okay," I gently stroked the back of his neck. "It's okay. Just breath."

Brell inhaled and exhaled, slowly easing the sobs. As he did so, I peaked behind Brell's head to see Ifan. He had lowered his crossbow. I shot him a quick grateful smile before I continued to sooth my friend. Eventually, Brell stopped sobbing and unclasped himself from me. He looked at me with tear marks down the sides of his face.

"You're right," he dipped his head shamefully. "I did turn into my father. Why did I let him do that to me? All those adventures we had at the oasis. All the talks about the world outside. What… what happened?"

I placed my hand on his cheek again. He looked up at me.

"It's… just what happens when we grow up," I said. "We change."

He brought in an uneasy breath, trying his best not to sob again.

"But why did I have to change for the worse? Why?"

"I don't know," I said. "But I know that you can change again. For the better this time."

"How do you know I can?" Brell's face was doubtful. "You've seen the way I am."

"Because I did."

Both of us looked up at the Red Prince who stood before us. His gaze locked onto Brell with confident smile.

"Before my exile, I was like you. Arrogant, ruthless, unsympathetic, always treating my slaves harshly. In fact, I believe I was far worse than you."

He looked down at his son resting in his arms and then at me.

"But after meeting Sadha, and a little straightening out thanks to this brave lady here, I've learned that being harsh and unfair to others only creates unnecessary conflict. Thus, I've made a vow to change the Empire's ways for our people's rebirth. The abolishment of slavery and new allegiances with our allies for our united offensive against the voidwoken. That is what my goal is."

His eyes narrowed on Brell, as if evaluating him.

"From what I've seen, you have more than the capacity to change yourself for the better. And admitting your mistakes is the first step."

He gave a curt nod and took a step back. Brell looked away and thought to himself for a moment. When he looked up at me, his eyes were still showing doubt.

"I just…" he stumbled on his words. "Ever since I took the reins of my family's business, success was all I ever dreamed of. But now, I don't know what to do or where to go."

I moved my hand to his shoulder.

"I can't tell you what you should be, Brell," I said. "But I know that whenever you put your mind to anything, you always followed through with it. When you find your new calling, I know that you'll excel at it."

Brell sighed uneasily and looked around. When I met his eyes again, I could see the doubt about himself was gone. His mouth curled into a grin for a moment, but it disappeared when another feeling clung to him. He brought both of his hands to my shoulders.

"Can you forgive me, Mahalia?" he asked. His tone was genuine. No longer did I hear the grandiose high-class gentleman I was betrothed to. Instead, I heard the voice of my friend from my childhood.

"You're my friend, Brell," I said. "Of course, I forgive you."

He sighed. I felt his relief flow into me through his arms.

"Thank you," he said. He looked down at my hand. I opened it to show him the ring again. He stared at it for a long moment. This time, he brought his hand up and placed his fingers onto it. Softly, he took the ring out of my palm. When our eyes met again, the look in his eyes told me everything.

"You go ahead and do what you need to do," he said.

He put the ring away into his pocket. At that moment, I knew I was no longer burdened by him.

"I'll figure things out for myself."

With a grateful grin, I moved closer and gave him another hug. He hugged me back.

"I wish you the best," I said.

"Thank you," he said.

When our hug ended, I looked up to see my parents standing before me. When I stood up and looked into their eyes, all the shock from my argument with Brell was gone from their eyes. Instead, they looked proud. Happy even. I inhaled ready to explain myself. But mother spoke first.

"We're proud of you, Mahalia."

I cocked my head.

"Truly?" I asked.

"Absolutely," Father said. "What mother and father wouldn't be proud of their child becoming a Dragon Knight?"

 _Other than seeing their daughter risking life and limb?_

"Are you going to be okay with this? I mean, without having me-"

"It was a mistake to follow the Empire's expectations," Mother said. "I no longer want to weigh my daughter down with our needs. Not after witnessing the courage you showed us."

"Neither do I," Father said. "You've changed into something absolutely wonderful. I'm proud of you, Mahalia."

He placed his hand on my shoulder while my mother placed hers on the other.

"Whatever happens from here on, you do what you want," Mother said. "You have our blessing."

Father concurred with a nod and a proud grin.

I could do nothing but come closer and hug them both. They hugged me back. After everything I went through, I felt the most relief right now. My parents were safe. But not only that, I managed to tell them, and my former betrothed, the truth. The best thing was, they didn't disown me like I was a disgrace. They accepted me when I chose my own path. I was happy I could keep a family that loved me when I chose what I wanted to do.

"Thank you," I said. My parents replied with a loving moan as they continued to hold me close to them.

"Not that I enjoy breaking up these tender mortal moments," I heard Malady say. "But we're on a timetable here. Could you finish this up so we can move along?"

I gasped when I remembered why I was here in the first place. We spent the whole time here in Arx to find Dallis and get back what she stole. I reluctantly broke my hug with my parents and looked at them with urgency.

"Go do what you need to do, Mahalia," Mother said. Father simply nodded. I nodded back. I looked over at Brell. He gave me an approving nod too. Ifan came up next to me along with Sebille and the Red Prince. They all smiled, ready for me to lead them into the fire and obtain the power to save the world. With tilt of my head, I proceeded to the gates with everyone following behind me.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Whew. Finally got this done after so many redrafts. Sorry it took so long.

I also had this part planned since chapter 10. But the problem that I faced was getting Brell's dialogue right while steering it into the direction I wanted to end up with a believable result. Dialogue between characters is the hardest thing to do in stories with an overall plan in place. (No wonder G. R. R. Martin's planned 3 books transformed into five books with two more still in the works.)

As always, thank you for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.


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